Beyond Admiration
by JunKing
Summary: An AU fic based on my Untold Tekken series that goes into a different side of the relationship between Peter and King. Not exactly a yaoi, but there will be homosexual themes/content. What do you do when you love someone who can't possibly love you back?
1. My Secret

_Author's Note: I hate to classify this fic as a yaoi, seeing as how it's not all about the sexual aspects. Yes it will have it's fair share of sexual moments, but it's not the point of this fic, it's the romance. By the way, this is an OLD story I wrote awhile back, I'm just editing everything else to have more character depth and the like. **If you don't like to read about homosexual feelings/scenes/and intimacies, please do not read it.** I'll give particular warnings for each chapter when I get to them. Anyways, this is supposed to be an AU fic, it doesn't fit along with my Untold Tekken Story series (it is touched upon briefly in Untold 3, but is quickly shot down). Consider this a What If? kind of fic. Peter's age is also boosted from 18 to 20 in this piece. Okay that's it from me. This is going to be my first type of fic like this and also my last. Okay._

Chapter 1: My Secret

I evaded the oncoming kick that was aimed for my head. My opponent was Lee Chaolan, the "Silver-haired Demon" as people liked to call him. Oh yeah, my name is Peter in case you were interested.

I am a twenty year old Latino of Puerto Rican descent, but I was born in America (New York to be precise). I have brown hair that I always gel into fiery spikes, my brown eyes matching them. I have light tan skin and I weigh in at about 186 pounds. I stand at a height of 5'9", which I am very proud of (though I'm not sure why anymore because it still seems like everybody is taller than me, even if they're not).

I listen as the sound of my black jeans travel with my leg through the air, colliding with Lee's face. Almost as if he never felt the blow, Lee grabbed hold of my black t-shirt and threw me off to the side, making me hit the cage wall. I slumped down the wall slowly, feeling the pain set in.

"I can't let him win…" I said aloud as I rose to my feet. Dodging a roundhouse punch, I thrust my right palm into Lee's underarm. Taking advantage of his stunned demeanor, I jumped up and kicked his face with both of my feet, ending the fight just like that. He hit the floor in a bloody heap, his face drenched with it now.

"K.O.!" The announcer yelled, causing me to smile with joy. I turned to my right and posed for the cameras, giving them my victory taunt. Screeeeeecccchhhh! The sound of the cages was heard throughout the arena as they retracted into the ground. As soon as the cages finished going down, my step-father King ran in to congratulate me.

Expecting a handshake from the muscular man, I was taken by surprise when he lifted me off my feet and held me high into the air for all to see, a sign of his pride in me. I laughed quietly to myself, almost as in a nervous tone (you see, I'm afraid of heights).

"Uh…King? Can you please put me down?" I yelled over the cheers of the crowd. Laughing loudly, King threw me up into the air and caught me in his bulky arms, setting me down on my feet gently.

"Oh my…THAT did it. I feel nauseous now." I said to King as I lightly punched his arm. With another laugh, King threw his arms around me, hugging me tightly. His shirtless body clung tightly to my small frame and for some reason, I felt weird.

I closed my eyes and accepted his hug, not wanting him to pull away. Then I realized that I was in public, people might be able to tell my secret.

"Thanks big guy!" I said as I quickly pulled away. The Jaguar-masked luchadore smiled down to me. Man he is so tall! He makes me feel like a flea compared to him. Don't forget, the guy is 6'7"! He's a giant compared to me.

"Hey Pete, why don't we celebrate by taking you to the movies? Ya up for it?" King said to me. I blushed slightly, the thought of sitting next to him in the dark gave me certain chills. I am always easily intimidated by the simplest of situations, though I don't always show it.

"Yeah sure, that sounds cool!" I replied with a controlled smile on my face. I didn't want him to know how I felt about him. After losing my entire family to the wrath of Ogre, King took me in and ever since then, he's been my only family. He's been there for me when no one else has. He understands me more than I understand myself.

What if…what if I told him? Would he reject me? Would he throw me out? Would he become ashamed? Would he regret ever taking me in? Oh God, I don't know these answers to all these questions. I only know what I feel, and what I feel is a strong love for him. I feel and am ashamed to admit that this love is stronger than any father-son bond, it's more intimate…

What am I supposed to do? I mean, Julia's my girlfriend, what if SHE found out about this? Would she hate me? Ever since that day when I was sexually abused by that man, I felt something growing inside me. I fought it for as long as I could, but now I realize that I can't fight what I am, I can't fight a part of me. I fear this problem will take me into a world of pain and there will be no way to save myself.


	2. Tensions

**_WARNINGS: This chapter will contain slightly graphic sexual content as well as violence._**

Chapter 2: Tensions

"Are you freaking KIDDING ME?!" I yelled as I kicked the snack machine. My eyes glared eagerly at the Snickers bar in the snack compartment. After putting in my dollar, the damn machine ate it and left me with no money, no Snickers. After kicking the machine and uttering a few curse words, I left and headed back to my room.

It was three A.M. in the morning and I was tired. I just had to get this candy bar, I had an intense craving for it. "Well, it's probably for the best, me being on my diet and all." I said to myself as I opened my room door. When I opened the door, I expected to see King sleeping in his bed. Instead, I saw a note on it.

"Where would King go at three in the morning?" I said as I picked up the note. The read: 'Peter, Went to talk to Marduk. Be right back.'

"What the hell? Is he TRYING to get himself killed? He promised me that he wouldn't try to fight him early, he said he would fight him in the tournament!" Becoming worried, I grabbed my jacket and left the room, jogging at a fair pace to get to Marduk's room.

As I came closer to the room, I slowed down to a walk, I was going to at least listen and see if things were okay. Putting my ear against the door, I was shocked, to say the least.

"Rwaaaaaaarrr…."

"Umm yeah…"

What. The. Fuck?

Becoming curious as to what was going on in there, I decided to crack the door open a peak. This time, what I saw…was shocking.

I looked in to see King and Marduk on the bed. Marduk was pleasuring King with his mouth. As I watched, I felt a mix of emotions. First, I felt confusion. Then I felt anger. Then I felt betrayal. I knew I should've just turned around and walked away, but for some reason, I couldn't move. My eyes sat wide open, my breath held in my chest. The sight of King seeming to enjoy this encounter made me feel sick. It was as if a dagger had been driven deep into my heart. After all that shit he talked, after all those goddamn death threats...and _this_ is what he was really up to? Marduk paused in his performance and turned his head towards King, who seemed to be in a world of his own.

"So, you told the kid about us yet?" Marduk asked. King casually looked towards him, barely seeming to hear the question.

"He thinks I'm here to talk." he said with a slight hint of mockery in his voice, as if he was referring to me as some stupid, gullible individual that he couldn't care less about. My eyes began to tear up. _How could he do this to me? _

"I can't believe what I'm seeing…" It was then that I felt a different kind of emotion...jealousy. Right there and then, my feelings were confirmed. The very same ones that I had been trying to deny this whole damn time. I really did care for him as more than a friend, more than a step-father. And I was hating myself for it. Blocking out the sounds of the two men in the room in front of me, I felt the urge to vomit. It was bad enough to discover this, and now I was having this revelation right in the middle of it. I realized that my anger wasn't so much with King anymore, it was with Marduk. I felt like he was intruding on my space. It's like the feeling a husband would get if he saw his wife flirting with another guy, only this was ten thousand times worse.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized that they were finally finished messing around. That was supposed to be my cue, my sign to run before I was discovered. But still, I couldn't bring myself to move. The pain inside my mind intensified as I watched them exchange loving gestures. _Disgusting...fucking disgusting..._ I couldn't hold it in any longer, my face swelled up and became red, my eyes burned with tears. Then uncontrollably, stupidly even, I let out a cry. It wasn't loud, but it was loud enough to get their attention.

"Looks like we got a fan King." Marduk said as he hopped off of him. King sat up on his elbows and looked at the door.

"Peter?!" He yelled as he quickly pulled his boxers up.

"It's not what you think, I swear!" King yelled as he ran to the door. Once he opened the door, I glared at him with a tear stained face. How could he say that now?

"It's a bit late for that now." Not being able to look at him any longer, I turned and started to leave. Suddenly, I heard a sound, like that of something being torn into. That's when I felt it. The gleaming blade across my throat, the blood seeping out onto the carpet, the look in Marduk's eyes as he held the knife, the laughter from King, the cold taking over my body. They wanted me out of the picture all along... As I collapsed to the ground, my hands reached out to King. The betrayal still wasn't sinking in, and in a few moments, it wouldn't matter. The last thing I saw was the two of them laughing at me, happy that I wasn't going to be getting in their way any longer.

--

Suddenly, my eyes opened to darkness as I exhaled loudly. It was only a nightmare. I looked over to see King sleeping, but once I exhaled, he hopped out of bed and ran to me.

"Bad dream?" he said.

"Ye-yeah. Bad dream is all. I-I'm going to go shower now, yo-you know, w-wake myself up." I said nervously. I couldn't even look at him, I was so surprised. I didn't want him to know what I was just dreaming about, so I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.

--

The water hit my back like a waterfall, or so it seemed. It felt so heavy, or was it just me? The thoughts from my dream steadily came back to me. I still couldn't believe what I thought of. 'Was that really me? I can't believe I could ever think of something so…graphic.'

As I applied the white soap bar to my arms, I thought about telling King. No scratch that, I could never tell him something like that, he'd think I was some kind of pervert and a freak.

I stood still, letting the water hit the back of my neck as I tried to figure out that dream. 'Why King and Marduk? That would NEVER happen. Plus, King's not gay, so he'd never…' I thought to myself, realizing the horrible truth. If he wouldn't have done that, then he also…would never love me the way that I wanted him to.

A tear formed in my eye and fell to the ground, becoming mixed with the many droplets of shower water. The dream repeated itself through my head, and I found that it was affecting a certain lower body part of mine.

I turned, trying to ignore my manhood's calling as the water now fell onto my chest. The streams of water landed on my right nipple, creating a sensation like no other throughout my entire body. I tried to fight it, the urge to masturbate, but it was too strong.

Giving in, I collapsed onto the shower floor and began to jerk myself quickly. I felt ashamed of myself, the fact that I was masturbating to such a disturbing dream, but at that moment, I didn't care. I slowed down the pace, blocking out the end of the nightmare and just focusing on the sexual imagery. 'King…' I called out mentally. I remembered the day that he said he wanted to adopt me. He was nervous. Maybe he was nervous because he felt something for me then and he knew he would be crossing the line with those feelings if he were to take me in. But I knew that my mind was only telling me what I wanted to hear, like it usually always did.

The thought of King sleeping with Marduk was a disgusting one to me, I just couldn't like Marduk at all, not after all he did. But yet somehow I sat here entertaining the thought. I began to go faster and faster, feeling my climax begin to rise. Slowly and pleasurably, I closed my eyes as the tingling sensation rose up through my penis. 'Ah! Finally, that's it!' I yelled mentally as my sperm shot out onto my stomach. I covered my mouth, trying not to moan any louder than I already was.

Knock, Knock! "You okay in there?" I heard King call out from behind the door.

I gathered myself together quickly, replying, "Ye-yeah. I just cut myself shaving."

"Well try to be more careful, okay? And you're not cutting yourself on purpose I hope…right?" King asked in an almost sheepish manner.

"No King, I'm over that now. It was an accident." I replied.

"Okay, be more careful." he said as I stood back up and began to clean myself off. Slowly letting my breath calm to a slower pace, I turned the shower to a colder temperature to cool myself. Guilt rose in my heart for what I had just thought, for what I had just given in to. Then I thought back to the root of it all, the feelings I had towards King.

"King…if only it was that simple…if only I could tell you what I'm feeling…"


	3. Confrontation

Chapter 3: Confrontation

King was out, training himself in the weight room in the main floor of the Mishima Hotel. I stood on the balcony of our room on the third floor. The view was a lively beach, but not even the beauty of nature could cheer me up.

As I looked at the water of the ocean, I wished that it would come and swallow me up, take away my pain. But I knew that would never happen. And besides, King would be devastated if I disappeared. He lost his original step-father, King the First, and then he lost Armor King to the wrath of Marduk. How would he react if he lost me as well?

I looked down to the ground beneath me, watching as Xiaoyu and Miharu tossed a beach ball to each other. Next to them, Christie and Eddy held hands sitting on the floor watching the two of them, laughing happily. As I saw their hands joined together, I noticed that my face tightened. Was I jealous of other people's happiness?

"Why…? Why can't I be happy? How come everybody else can and I can't?" I said to myself. As I spoke, the only person I could think of was King. I saw all the good times we had, all the laughs we shared. I just wished that King would appreciate me on a higher level, not viewing me as a friend and step-son…but as a partner. I knew it sounded bad, but King was my friend before he became my step-father. We weren't even related. That would make it okay...wouldn't it? I sighed to myself. Of course it wouldn't. I straightened myself up as I went back inside of my room.

"I just wish I could tell you King. Things would be so much easier if you knew-" Suddenly, I bumped into someone as I pushed open the curtains to go back inside. It was King.

"If I knew what?" he said cheerfully.

I stared in shock, quickly thinking of something to say, but nothing would come out. Finally, I mustered up the courage to speak.

"I…it's nothing important. I was just thinking aloud." I said, hoping he would buy it and drop the subject.

"Everything would be easier…if I knew what, Pete?" he replied.

'I have to think of something…' I thought to myself.

"I just meant that…things would be easier if you knew how much I missed my family. That's all."

King stood firmly, his eyes fixated on my facial expression.

"So…did you get a good workout?" I said as I walked past him and towards the bathroom. I opened the door as I heard him slowly following me. I drowned out the sound of his heavy footsteps by turning on the faucet, splashing water onto my face to clear my thoughts.

"Pete…" I heard King say as his voice now felt next to me.

I looked up at him as he leaned against the wooden doorframe, waiting to hear what he had to say. My heart was beating at such a fast pace, I thought it might explode.

"If you have something to tell me…I just want you to know that I'm always here for you." King told me. For a moment I considered revealing the truth, but then I thought 'but at what cost?'

Would I ruin my relationship with King by telling him the truth? I don't know, but I didn't want to ruin anything between us at all. Then I remembered what King always used to tell me: "Sometimes the only way to move forward is to take that giant leap."

Okay. I'm ready…

"King…can I ever say anything to make you change the way you feel about me?'

"You know the answer to that Pete. You know I care for you no matter what." He replied.

"Yes, but…would your feelings diminish?"

"No way! You're my step-son, there's nothing you can say that will make me reject you."

What he said…only reassured my doubts. "Only a step-son…" I said aloud, whispering to myself.

There was a knock at the door and I straightened up, looking up to King. "Guess I'd better get that…"

As I walked past him, he grabbed my arm and turned me towards him again.

"…When you're ready, I'll be waiting to hear what you have to say."

I looked into his green eyes, and I knew he was telling the truth. But for some reason, I wasn't willing to take the chance…not yet.

"Thanks." I said as he let me go. I turned to get the door. Upon opening it, I realized that it was Julia, the girl I'd been dating for months now and one of my best friends. I smiled, but I knew as well as she that it was fake.

"Pete, we need to talk…" she said. I looked back to King, who motioned for me to go. She has to know, she deserves to know. I just hope I won't hurt her feelings. You see, while King had just told me that there was nothing I could say to hurt him, there was no guarantee that Julia would be just as generous…


	4. One Heart Broken

Chapter 4: One Heart Broken

"So what did you need to talk about?" I asked Julia as we sat down on a park bench, just outside the hotel.

"Peter…I feel like you've been avoiding me lately…" she replied, making me break out in a nervous sweat.

"Wha-what makes you say that?" I said with a small smile on my face, trying to convince her that nothing was wrong. Julia exhaled loudly before she continued.

"You haven't stopped by to talk to me in days. We're together, and that means that we owe each other the respect and decency to-"

"Julia…there's something going on with me." I interrupted. "I feel like something's changing inside of me."

Julia gulped slowly before deciding to speak again, asking me, "Does this change…change the way that you feel about me…?" I turned around, not facing her as I collected my thoughts.

"Julia, I will always love you. You will never stop being one of my best friends."

"…Just a friend?" Her words were like a stake driven right through my stomach. I felt such regret for what I was about to say and do.

"Julia…I think, well…I think I might be…"

"Gay?" she interrupted. I looked over and into her eyes. She had tears in them, her beautiful brown orbs had tears in them.

"Julia…I'm sorry. I didn't plan for this to happen…it just sort of…I don't know…I just felt a change inside of me." I said it as nice as I possibly could, trying not to offend or hurt her.

"How long have you known?" Julia asked me. As she spoke, she played with the left braid of her hair, almost as if in a nervous manner.

"I…I've actually known it since I was thirteen." I said. Julia gasped, tears beginning to fall from her almond shaped eyes.

"Does that mean that…I mean while you were with me…Peter, did you ever really love me?" Her question was like a death sentence.

"Julia, it's hard to explain. I loved you…just not sexually…" As soon as I said it, I wished that I could take it back. It sounded so wrong, just so horrible. Julia covered her mouth as she looked at me. I felt like she was staring at a monster, like this horrible creature that needed to be destroyed. Then, her eyes changed into a more compassionate form. She wiped the tears away from her eyes before she spoke.

"To be honest, I've always kind of suspected that you might've been gay…I guess I just didn't want to believe it…"

I sat still, tears beginning to form in my eyes. I tried my hardest not to let the tears fall. Julia noticed this, but she still had another question to ask, or so it seemed.

"Is there…a man in your life…?" she asked me.

I composed myself before replying, "If you mean: 'Peter did you cheat on me while we were together', the answer is no. I would never hurt you like that."

"Is there someone that…someone that you want?" she asked. Immediately, I thought of him…and I didn't know how to say it. I trusted her but I didn't want to hurt her anymore…so I finally said, "I…I don't know."

Julia frowned slightly, probably sensing that I wasn't being honest with her. That was one thing about Julia, she was so genuine that she knew when others weren't doing the same. Almost a minute of silence went by. I searched for the right words to say, the magic words that would make her feel better. But those words didn't exist, not now anyways. Surprisingly, she put her hand on my shoulder and smiled at me saying, "Whatever makes you happy, makes me happy."

I suddenly started to cry softly as I looked into her eyes. They looked so sullen and gloomy but quickly they changed to orbs of light and inspiration. I wasn't really crying for me, I was crying for her. She was always so sure of herself. Even after what I had told her, she still looked at me as an equal. I longed to have that sort of confidence, that kind of forgiveness. Because when you had that ability to forgive within you, you were able to overcome almost anything. Tears fell down my tan cheeks, spilling like shooting stars to the cement below. I felt her hand move onto my back, patting it softly as she then embraced me in a hug.

"It's okay Peter…" she said.

"I'm so sorry Julia…I didn't mean to hurt you…I just don't know what to do now…" I said in between sobs. Julia's hands were warm around my body, making me feel comfortable. I've never been accepted, and this was one moment that I didn't want to end.

"Peter…it's okay to be different, like you said before, you didn't choose for this to happen…" Julia told me as I started to slow down my tears.

"Julia…thank you…" I said as I wiped my tears on my sleeve. She smiled at me and hugged me tightly before she let go. It was at that exact moment, for that quick second that she leaned in towards my ear, that I could've sworn I heard her whimper. But when she pulled away, there was no sign of sadness, only supporting kindness.

"As long as we can still be friends…then I am here to support you. I will always love you Peter, nothing can change that."

I felt Julia's hand leave my shoulder as she turned to leave. Even though she said all these upbuilding things to me right now, I somehow could feel that this was the end of something between us. She'd never look at me the same now, of course she'd never say that, but I could tell by that last look she gave me before walking off. That last glance seemed to reveal everything inside her; telling me all that she kept hidden from me. Her eyes seemed to say, _you hurt me..._and _I gave you everything I had..._but what hurt the most, was when they said, _goodbye forever..._

...

What have I done...?


	5. Flashbacks

_**CHAPTER WARNINGS:**__** This chapter will contain graphic sexual content/language, violence, and rape.**_

Chapter 5: Flashbacks

I stood in a dark alley. Everything was foggy; I could tell it was a dream. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a trashcan falling over. I realized that in this dream, I was younger. I was about twelve it seemed, or that's what my mind was telling me. 'This is exactly how I remember it…' I thought to myself.

"Hey kid. Don't you know how dangerous it is to walk the streets at night by yourself?" I heard a masculine voice say. I turned around with fear in my eyes.

'Wake up, wake up, please!' I yelled mentally. The man wore a hood, his peach colored hands reaching for me. I felt his harsh hands grip hold of me, throwing me against the wall. I tried to recall my fighting moves, but for some reason, I couldn't remember any.

'It's all playing out just like that night…' I thought as I tried to run from the man. As I ran, he grabbed hold of the back of my shirt and threw me down onto the ground. I fell face first into a puddle of rain water and I could feel pain beginning to get the better of my weak body.

'Please don't make me go through this again!' I yelled out in my head as the man laughed loudly.

"No one to save you now…" he said as he began to get on top of my back. I could feel my back, my rear, and my legs being exposed to the harsh winter air. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain entering inside of me. Something large was being forced into me. I knew what was happening this time, unlike the last. He was raping me.

"Ow!" I yelled out as he began to pump into me, steadily going faster and faster.

"Stop!" I yelled out. "Help me! Somebody, helllllpppp!!"

I then felt one of his callous hands covering my mouth.

"Shut the fuck up." He said harshly as he continued to humiliate me. All I could think about was my parents, wishing that they could be there for me, save me from this situation.

"You're so tight…just like the little boy you are…" I heard the man say as I screamed under his hand. I closed my eyes as he increased the rate of the sex, hurting me even more than before. The only thing I could do was cry, because there was no one to help and save me. I was doomed.

"Yeah, you little faggot…you like this shit don't you? You LIKE IT!" He yelled as he slammed my head against the ground.

'Please, wake up!' I yelled mentally in a desperate tone.

Then, the hooded man pulled himself out, slowly. I thought he was finished, but I should have known better. The man only turned me over to my back and forced himself back inside me. He thrust into me at a quicker pace this time, sending waves of shock and pain throughout my entire body. He continued to hold his hand down against my mouth, restraining my speech.

"I want you to call me master…" He said. "I'm going to let you speak, but you'd better say master, or else I'm gonna fuck you harder. Got it?"

I cried hysterically, being too afraid to say anything. But I knew I didn't want to be hurt anymore because what he was doing hurt enough. Slowly, he took his hand away from my mouth. "Say it…" he told me.

"M-master…" I muttered.

"Louder!" he yelled as he increased his pace. I yelled out in pain as he began to rub his hands roughly over my chest, violently squeezing my chest and nipples.

"Okay, okay! Master! Masteeeeeeerrrrr!" I yelled, practically begging him to calm down. Under his hood, I could see him smirking.

"That's it…" he said as he leaned forward and kissed me hard on my lips.

"Now…I want you to call me…daddy…" he demanded silently.

I was quiet at first, not wanting to say it. I felt so embarrassed and I was feeling so much pain. Reluctantly, I began to speak. "Dad…daddy…"

"Ooooohhhhh!! Yeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhh!!" he yelled as I felt a warm blast inside of me. I realized that I kind of enjoyed that last feeling, to the point of me becoming hard. Leaving his penis inside of me, he reached forward and began to fondle my small member.

"You gonna tell all your friends? You gonna tell your mommy?" he asked me in a humorous manner. I shook my head slowly. Then, I heard the sound of sirens coming closer.

"Shit!" the man yelled as he pulled out of me. I watched as he pulled up his pants and ran away. Shortly thereafter, a police officer ran up to me and lifted me in his arms.

"It's okay son, it's over now. We're here to help you." He said.

"Help you…help you…help you…" his last words echoed through my mind as I woke up on the bed. The bed was drenched in my sweat and I noticed that my boxers were covered in sperm. I looked over to see King, but I realized that he wasn't there. Suddenly, I started to cry, wishing that someone was there to help me. I always had this dream, it was what happened to me when I was younger. It's the source of the monster inside of me…and I've just about had enough.


	6. Finished

Chapter 6: Finished

"Damn it!" I yelled as I hit the floor. I had just been punched in the face by Jin Kazama. The pain sent me reeling from the blow. I stood back up, dodging a roundhouse kick as I ran forward to attack. Thrusting my palm into his chest, Jin flew back, coughing harshly as I prepared for the next attack.

Spinning in full circles, I leaped into the air sideways and aimed my right leg for Jin's temple. Surprisingly, he threw his hand up and blocked the kick, causing me to fall to the floor. Thinking quickly, I rolled out of the way of a stomp aimed for my face. Once I stood up, my face was greeted with a violent uppercut on the part of Jin. The punch was so forceful, that it knocked me off my feet and into the telephone booth nearby.

The sound of shattering glass was heard and I knew that I was finished. I lay on the floor, looking up at Jin. My back hurt so bad from where I had been hit and I knew it was keeping me from continuing.

"Get up!" I heard King yell from the crowd. He knew how badly I wanted to win, but Jin was just too strong. I slowly started to stand up again, taking up every ounce of my remaining energy. I stood with one hand on my knee and the other in a fist. Jin dropped back into his stance and waited for me to attack.

Suddenly, darkness began to overtake me and I could feel myself slipping. I looked up at the sky as I started falling backwards. In an instant, Jin caught me, saving me from being cut by the various shards of glass.

"You have a true warrior's spirit." Jin told me.

"But it's…not enough.." I muttered. That was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

--

This is how it always was. Nothing I ever did was enough. I always came close to my goals, but never had what it took to succeed all the way. Jin's words echoed throughout my head. If I had a true warrior's spirit, then wouldn't I have been able to overcome this inner struggle long ago?

--

Later…

"Pete?" I heard a voice say. My eyes slowly began to slide open and I awoke to see King. At first, the sight of his jaguar mask scared me, but I quickly adjusted. After catching my breath, I smiled at him slowly. I felt so weak and it hurt to smile.

"You really put up a good fight out there." He said, trying to make me feel better about my defeat. I swallowed deeply before I decided to reply.

Looking around the bedroom, I replied, "I'm sorry if I disappointed you…" I said, looking away towards the window.

"Hey." I heard him say. Suddenly, I felt his hand gripping mine. I nearly jumped, but I managed to control it. However, I noticed that my hand was beginning to tremble slightly.

"You never disappointed me." He said. I looked over at his masked face, then slowly to where our hands were joined. King looked down as well and then he slowly removed his hand from mine. I looked back up to him, forcing myself to smile. Feeling his warm hand on top of my cold one made me wish that he knew about my secret, but that would never happen.

"Thank you." I said with a smile. Behind that smile was so many mixed emotions. Feelings of confusion, lust, anger, and depression filled my mind. I felt like an emotional train wreck, or like I was riding a roller coaster that was doomed to malfunction.

"Are you…okay?" King asked. I knew that he knew that I wasn't, he just wanted to hear it from me.

"I'm…just weak from the battle, that's all…" I said. King nodded almost as if saying, 'okay I won't push you'. A few moments of silence went by, and I thought King was going to tell me to rest up. To my surprise, he decided to speak different words.

"Are you…ready to tell me?" he asked. I looked up to the ceiling and sighed. I was contemplating whether or not to tell him. I felt ready, but I was still scared of the consequences. King sat closer in his seat and spoke again.

"Confessing is better than holding it inside of you." He said. I nearly choked on my own saliva as I gulped nervously. I felt like he was attacking me and he was beginning to break down my defenses.

"King…" I managed to say.

"If you keep holding it in, you'll just hurt yourself. And I know that you're hurting inside." He interrupted. I sat up on my elbows and looked up at him, wincing a bit from my bruises.

"Sometimes, the truth can hurt even more. It can ruin relationships, like Julia and I." I said, fighting back tears.

"Why did you break up with her? You two seemed so close." He asked. I looked at him, giving him direct eye contact as I sarcastically said, "Just a result of 'the truth'."

King lowered his head. I felt bad, so I said, "I'm sorry…I wasn't implying that you were wrong, it's just that…your friendship means more to me than anything else…and I don't want to ruin it."

"Didn't I tell you that you can't hurt me no matter what you tell me? I'm here for you no matter what." He replied.

"King, I wish it was that simple." I said to him in a pleading like manner.

"It's okay." He said as he patted my spiky brown hair, "I'll be waiting until you are ready."


	7. Comfort

Chapter 7: Comfort

I sat patiently on the park bench, waiting for Tiffanie to arrive. Tiffanie was the only black female fighter is this tournament, and although she just arrived, she seemed to have more popularity than me. She specialized in a unique style of boxing, but she included kicks to throw her enemies off. The morning air seemed so calm, so peaceful. It made me feel as if nothing mattered in this world, not a damn thing.

I looked down to my watch and saw that it was exactly eight o' clock.

"She's late." I muttered.

"Hey Pete." I heard her voice say from behind me. I tilted my head back and looked into her brown eyes. She wore a red tank top with the Superman logo on it, with black jeans, her red weaved hair reaching just above her lower back. I smiled at her, as if I was greeting an old friend. Heck, that's what she was!

"I'm not late. It's usually you who's always late. And what's your excuse for it?" Tiffanie turned her head and cuffed her ear towards me, waiting to her our famous prank line.

"Me and my Puerto Rican time." I said, holding back a laugh. Tiffanie leaned over, digging her elbows into the back of my shoulders as she held her head up with both hands.

"Yeah, you Puerto Ricans are late for EVERYTHING." She said, causing me to laugh at her remark. Standing up and coming around the bench to face me, she then sat down next to me and got serious.

"So Pete. I know you didn't call me out here to tell jokes. What's up?" she said as she lightly punched my arm. I frowned before sighing gently.

"Tiffanie…remember how I told you…you know, what happened to me when I was twelve?" She sat up on her feet now as she looked me in my dark brown eyes.

"…yeah, I remember. What about it?" she said.

"Well…Tiffanie, there's really no easy way to say this, but I think I'm changing…"

"Changing…how?"

"I think I might have developed…I don't know how to say this, but I think I might be…attracted to men…" I looked down at the cement floor as I said that last statement. Tiffanie was silent, and I felt like it was Julia: Part Two.

"Do you think I'm a freak?" I asked her. She remained silent before she decided to speak.

"I think you're still Peter. I see you as my friend, not as a freak. I just have a question…I thought you liked Julia and Sylvia." I looked at the trees ahead in the park as I spoke.

"I used to like Sylvia, but she's too bitchy for me. As for Julia, things just didn't work out…I told her about me…"

"You did? What'd she say?"

"She told me…she told me to be happy." I said, pushing my tears away.

"Wow…she must've really loved you." She replied. Tilting her head with child-like innocence, Tiffanie asked me another question.

"So…who do you like?"

I turned my face to the right, avoiding eye contact as I spoke. "It's…King. I know how it sounds, but I really care for him."

Tiffanie looked like she felt slightly disgusted, but she quickly caught it and turned it into a look of curiosity. "King, as in your step-dad King?"

"Tiff, you're really not good at making people feel better." I said as I stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait!" I heard her say. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged you, but you have to admit…well, can you blame me for being so shocked?"

"I…I guess not." I said as I sat back down next to her. "What should I do?" I asked, hoping that she would have some sort of answer.

"…I think you should tell him."

I looked at her in utter shock and disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"Sometimes, the only way to move forward is to take that giant leap."

'King always says that…' I thought to myself. "Fine, I'll tell him, but I ruin my relationship with him, I'm gonna blame you." I said as I playfully punched her muscular arm.

"Go do your thing man. Tell me how it goes." She said as I rose back up to my feet. After giving her a friendly smile and wave, I took off towards the hotel. King was most likely in the weight training room buffing up, so I figured I'd check there first.

Sure enough, King was in the weight room doing pull-ups. As I looked at him, I noticed that he was wearing his tracksuit, so he must have been running as well. I waited for him to drop down from the bar before I decided to approach.

"Hey King!" I said as he looked in my direction. He smiled, showing me his jaguar teeth.

"What's up Pete? Man I've missed you, you've been avoiding me for days!" he said, sitting down in front of me.

"I'm sorry. Things have been a little rough…"

King looked as if he expected me to say more, and I could sense that he knew what I was going to say.

"I think I'm ready to tell you the truth...can we talk in private?"

Immediately, he stopped smiling and nodded slowly. "Sure, let's go back to the room."

The walk seemed like forever, and the elevator ride was extremely uncomfortable. Silence filled the air as we both walked down the hall towards the room. Once we arrived at the door, King removed the golden key from his pocket and unlocked it.

Once inside the room, King sat on the bed. I felt weird standing in front of him, so I sat at the foot of the bed. I sighed, getting ready to reveal my secret when suddenly, King interrupted me.

"I just want to let you know that you can trust me." He said.

I took another deep breath before I continued. "King…when I was twelve, I was…raped by a man…"

"WHAT?!" he roared. I lowered my head and continued to speak.

"I was raped in an alleyway at night. I got lost in the city when I went with my parents and I wandered into it…"

"Pete…"

"Over the years, I've been fighting certain feelings…I've been trying to deny them for as long as I could, but now I realize that I can't fight my own mind and body."

"What…are you saying?" King asked, sitting up and getting a bit more serious.

"King…I think I'm gay…"

King sat back against the wall, almost as if the shock was too much. He said nothing, nothing at all. I couldn't let the silence continue, so I decided to get down to the point.

"That's not it King…" I said, causing him to look over to me.

"King…I think I fell…I fell in love with you…"


	8. Reaction

Chapter 8: Reaction

"You…love me?" King asked me as he tried to look at my face. I wouldn't let it show because I had too much pride and I was scared.

"I'm…sorry King, I never meant for this to come out…"

"Why didn't you…tell me?"

I suddenly became enraged, almost blaming King for my condition. "Do you think I planned for this to happen?!"

King lowered his head, but when I looked over to him, his eyes were still fixed on me. For some reason, his eyes looked like they were disappointed.

"Please…" I said as I began to cry. "Don't look at me like that!" I started hyperventilating, being unable to control it. Through my tears, I noticed King shift in his place a little as he lowered his head even lower. 'Great. Now I look like an emotional train wreck.'

In the corner of my eye, I saw him get up and come closer. He stood next to me and sat down on the bed. A couple of seconds went by and I wondered what I had just done. I felt like I ruined my relationship with him and that feeling didn't set too well with me.

I felt a hand touch my shoulder. It was warm and full of concern, and right then, I knew it was King. Slowly, I stopped crying and looked to him.

"You…you don't think I'm a freak…?" I said, scared to hear his answer.

"Peter…I told you. Nothing you say can change the way I feel about you." He replied. I let a few more tears fall before I forced a smile. His kind and caring attitude always had a tendency to make me feel like melting, but this was something else.

"And now…I have a confession to make…" King said. I wiped away my tears and gave him a curious look. He looked down, keeping his hand on my shoulder.

"What you just told me…I knew…"

I looked at him as I said, "How did you know?"

"I…heard you calling out my name as you slept…you've been doing it for the past two weeks now…"

I was in total shock from what I was hearing, and the fact that he still had his hand on my shoulder, it made me feel as if he pitied me. I wouldn't have this, no way. The last thing I needed right now was anyone's pity. I needed someone to understand, to accept me. I moved away from his reach. To my surprise, he scooted closer. He didn't say anything, he just looked at my face, studying me from up close. Although I wasn't giving him eye contact, I could feel his eyes nearly burning a whole in the side of my face. He just sat there staring at me.

"You know, this was a mistake. Please just forget I said anything." I composed myself and rose off the bed, beginning my walk to the door. I could tell he was still in shock and this was everything that I was trying to avoid. Why the fuck did I take Tiffanie's advice? I knew deep down inside that this was going to happen, but I chose to buy into all this 'hope' bullshit. All I accomplished just now was fuck everything up between King and me. Just as I was shutting the door to the room, I heard him call out my name. He sounded as if he was to try and talk it all out. But I already knew what he was going to say. He was going to try and be as nice as possible and he was going to tell me that we could never have anything between us. That would only make me feel worse and more embarrassed.

I turned the corner and stood by the elevator, pressing the button so that I could go downstairs. _Deep breaths._ Just as I felt my blood pressure lowering slightly, I heard King open the room door. He was going to come after me, damn it. Quickly, I practically leaped into the stairwell and started jogging down the floors towards the lobby. I was moving surprisingly fast today. It was probably due to my adrenaline pumping, my veins felt like they were throbbing. Right as I was about to open the door to the lobby, I once again could hear King in pursuit.

_Shit! _As soon as I ran through the door, I searched frantically for the next place to run. A loud burst of thunder startled me into realizing that there was a huge rainstorm going on outside. Without thinking, I ran outside and shut the entrance door behind me. Afterwards, I realized how truly stupid this was of me. I had left my access key in the room and now I was stuck outside, hiding from King in the freezing cold. The water was actually a lot colder than I expected, soaking my clothing all the way through and making me regret running out here. Before I could think to do anything else, King came through the door inside the lobby. Just as he was turning to his head to look out the window, I ducked off to the side. Unsure if he had seen me or not, I stayed in the same spot, not wanting to risk being seen by getting up.

Seconds passed and I still sat in the rain, getting colder and colder. At first I didn't pay it any mind, but as the rain poured down on me, I realized that I was shivering. _God, I'm such a dumb ass._ Wrapping my arms around myself, I hoped that someone would come along and let me back in, otherwise I'd be a frozen soaked mess. Almost as if my prayers were answered, someone opened the door. But as my luck would have it, it was King. I sighed in frustration, my breath fading out into the air before me. He looked at me, and I didn't look at him.

"What're you thinking?" he asked. Instead of responding, I slowly stood up, teeth chattering silently. I walked past him as fast as I could to get back inside. This didn't do me much good, because the lobby was heavily air conditioned. I felt like oxygen made of ice was being poured down upon me, taunting me for being so stupid. Now I wasn't in the mood to flee, I'd just have to put up with the awkward silences. King stood a short distance behind me, probably knowing that I wanted my space. Either that or he was severely uncomfortable around me after what I just told him. I pressed the button for the elevator, trying desperately to hide how cold I was. It seemed very embarrassing to be standing here like this, after my little confession, soaking fucking wet, looking like a complete and utter dumb ass. A bad habit I'd picked up lately it seems.

King said nothing to me as we boarded the elevator. I just stood in silence, trying not to shiver. And I was doing a horrible job at it. Once the elevator reached our floor, I walked out, my eyes fixated on the carpet. I was too afraid to look at King now because he seemed a little bit angry at the fact that I ran off from him. He opened the door and quietly told me to get in. He spoke so quietly, yet with a commanding tone that caught me off guard. I walked in and headed over to the air conditioner, shutting it off. I couldn't hide it anymore, I was fucking freezing. Without hesitation, I grabbed some dry clothes and headed into the bathroom to change. While I changed, I wondered what King was thinking right then. I wondered if he was angry or disappointed or confused. He was probably a mix of them all. After I came out, I immediately hopped into my bed and threw the covers over my body, shivering wildly at this point.

I heard King getting closer to me. He came to give me his blanket, wrapping it around my body tightly. Even after all this, he was still looking out for me? I struggled to speak. "T-th-thanks." I said. I didn't hear him respond, but somehow I knew he was nodding. After a few more seconds, I heard him sit down on his bed. No doubt, he was probably thinking of what to say. But I knew him too well. He wouldn't say anything until the time was right and now wasn't the right time.

In the next twenty minutes, the room was filled with silence. Well other than the sound of my shivering, the room was completely silent. I was getting a little warmer but not warm enough. Before I knew it, I was convulsing slightly, unable to stop it. That's when I heard King get up off his bed. I expected him to throw another blanket over me, perhaps even leave the room. But then, I felt my blanket being lifted up, the weight of the mattress getting heavier on my right side. He was lying down next to me, no, he was wrapping his arms around me. I struggled to get up, but he held me down.

"Don't move. Use my body heat to warm up." He didn't say anything after that. He just held me there, gently rubbing his arms around me every few minutes. My body tensed up and for a while, I couldn't tell if I was shivering from the cold or from the fact that he was holding me. Once I managed to calm down a bit, my body started to become warmer. I knew he wasn't doing this for intimacy, especially not after I told him my secret. But then I started to wonder again. Why _would _he be doing this if he really thought I was a freak? For now, I'd stop thinking too hard about it. Even if I had to pretend he was feeling what I secretly wanted him to be feeling, then I'd just let this illusion continue. The warmth from his muscular body entered into me like a mist of some sort. Slowly, I stopped shivering. All I felt was his warmth, his kindness, his love. His heartbeat throbbed gently against my back. It felt so good to be here like this, becoming one and the same for a period of time.

It was if his touch was taming all my insecurities, erasing my fears; warming both my body as well as my soul. I knew right there and then, that I didn't want this moment to end. My body small and fragile compared to his large frame, I sensed no harm in his intentions. _Don't move..._

A minute later, he surprised me with something else. He began to hum. It was quiet, yet melodic. Now completely lulled into serenity, I started to drift off into sleep. My very last thought before I fell asleep, was _please be here when I wake up._


	9. Boundaries

Chapter 9: Boundaries

I woke to the sound of light footsteps. On impulse, I lifted my head up to see what it was. It was a quick sight, but my eyes caught a glimpse of light pouring through the doorway and onto the carpet floor. Slowly, the light got thinner and thinner, until it resembled a beam. Then, just like that, it was gone and the door was shut and locked quietly. _Where am I?,_ I thought. My eyes squinted in the darkness to take in my surroundings. Then everything came rushing back like water from a dam. I remembered everything; me telling King, me running out into the rainstorm, him finding me, me getting close to sick, and then...him keeping me warm. Holding my breath, I leaned over to see if he was still there. He wasn't. I took a minute to wake up and think about what happened. _He must've just left._ _But why...?_ It was then that I recalled he had another fight coming up in the tournament. He probably had left to go train for it. The electronic clock by the bed side said that it was five thirty in the morning. This was usually around the time that King woke up.

_Wait did I really pass out for that long? _Yesterday's rainstorm happened in the afternoon, had I really fallen asleep for that length of time? Well...then again I had been losing sleep for the past few weeks, my body had to make up for it. I noticed something strange about a minute afterwards. Even though King was gone from the bed, it still felt warm. I could still feel him next to me, lending me his warmth. He must've held me all night. My cheeks reddened slightly at the thought of this.

_...What am I doing?_ Putting aside the step-father issue, the age gap between the two of us was a decade. Plus, what would people think if they found out? _Ugh, whatever fuck this._, I thought. It was way too early to be upset over anything. Besides that, I felt lighter on the inside. I had been carrying around that burden, suffering by myself for a long time. Now I finally had it off my chest. I'd just have to take it from there and deal with the consequences. Rolling over into King's warmth again, I decided to just go back to sleep. I still wasn't feeling one hundred percent better yet and there was nothing I could do this early in the morning anyways.

--

"Peter? Pete? Are you feeling better?" King's voice echoed through my mind. For a second, I thought he was really here, but then I figured I was dreaming. That's when I felt his hand shake me gently out of my sleep. My eyes opened to the harsh sunlight that was now bathing the room, squinting painfully to adjust to the sudden change.

"King? What time is it?", I asked while my face remained buried underneath a pillow.

"It's almost noon already."

I shifted in my spot, surprised I had slept even later than before. Hesitation and fatigue got the better of me for a few more seconds, but I managed to kick off the sheets and sit up against the wall. Once I was up, King paced towards his own bed. Suddenly the room was silent and I could feel the tension in the air. However, instead of running off and avoiding it, this time I wanted to talk things out. As my mind searched for the right words to say, I could see King in the corner of my eye. He was tapping his foot against the floor anxiously, as if he too was in deep thought.

"Hey, can we grab something to eat? My head is spinning and I could use a cup of coffee or something." I said.King stood up and walked towards the door.

"Sure thing. I'll let you get ready." As quickly as his words entered my ears, he was out the door. That served as confirmation that he wasn't feeling comfortable around me. Shaking my head, I got out of bed and headed towards the shower. I could think of how to approach this later.

--

I'd been feeling so hungry before, but not all I could do was stare at the food on my plate. It was as if my eyes were doing the eating for me. King sat across from me, sipping his coffee as he looked around. It bothered me that he looked everywhere in the room but in front of him, where I was sitting.

"King...are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine I'm just anxious about my fight. It's against Marduk. I have to work hard if I want to finally avenge Armor King.", he said.

"Oh...okay. What about...you know." There was more silence as we sat at the table. King sat up in his seat a bit, tensing up. He looked around, making sure no one was within earshot of the conversation.

"I...I'm sorry, I just can't talk about this right now. I need to concentrate on the fight.", he said to me. My eyes widened and my breath stopped. His words had hit me like a falling brick in the face. Shocked at his reply, I tried my best to act as if his statement didn't phase me. But even though I pretended to brush it aside, King gave me an apologetic look of regret.

"I understand. When is the fight?" After I asked him my question, he held his head in his hands and sighed.

"Tomorrow."

"Oh wow. Is there anything I can do to help you?", I asked in concern.

"Umm, no I'll be fine, but thank you." Wow he really wasn't himself anymore. King was usually always so full of energy; he was always joking around and being positive. But now, he seemed so stressed. I wondered if it was just the fight, or if I was partially at fault. Nodding, I realized that I no longer had much of an appetite so I pushed my plate away. King stood up and began to speak.

"Hey I'm going to go work out."

"...Again?"

"Yeah. I want to be ready."

"King, you are ready.", I reassured him.

"Thanks.", he replied. From the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was still going to go work out. So I respected his privacy and watched as he began to walk away.

"I'll see you later.", he said with his back facing me. Within seconds, he was gone again, heading off towards the gym. _I'm so confused._ As he vanished from my sight, I felt guilty. Had I thrown him into this world of anxiety? I wished I could just take it all back, pretend like it never happened. But it didn't work like that. There was no forgetting what I said, no erasing it from the past. My words were always going to be in his mind from now on, and that particular thought made me wish I'd thought things through more carefully before telling him. Seconds past and I looked outside. Oddly enough, the weather was completely perfect today, unlike yesterday. After getting up to throw my food away, I thought about Julia. Something in the back of my mind was telling me to go and see how she was doing.

--

"So how are you feeling, Julia?"

"I'm okay Peter, thank you." She forced a smile and nodded. I could tell that she was still hurt, but she was doing her best to appear content. We stood in one of the many gardens of the Mishima property. The flowers and plants grew in all varieties and colors here, and the air smelled fresh. There was a certain calming atmosphere to this place that seemed to blanket the two of us. We both walked along the grass and took in the sights. Julia loved flowers and wildlife, she practically lived for it. In fact, that was her entire purpose to entering this tournament. She wanted to win enough money to fund more of her research. As I watched her walk along, I couldn't help but smile. She was so pure, so serene, yet with a warrior's spirit that I hadn't seen in too many others.

"I love it here", she said, "I wish that every place in the world looked this peaceful. Can you imagine how many people's attitudes would change? It's surprising how something as simple as this garden can lighten the hearts of so many people." It was then that I realized why she was here.She was roaming this garden because of me. She was looking for that tranquil state of mind again, and among these flowers is where she hoped to find it.

"Julia, I hope we can stay friends. No matter what, I'm always going to want to be a part of your life." I said. Her reaction was what I expected. She looked a little caught off guard, but I understood that I had spoken randomly. She faced me and smiled.

"You know that we're always going to be friends, we've been through too much together. Besides we were just friends when we met, right? Well that means we can return to that. Plus, who else willI have around to make me laugh?" The both of us chuckled at the statement. Suddenly, I felt a little bit better about us. If there was one thing I knew about Julia, it was that she was a terrible liar. So just then, I was able to see that she was telling the truth. She turned towards a bed of roses and began to saying something else.

"You know, all good things require time. Sometimes we may want to rush things, like the blooming of these flowers. But you see, no matter how much we rush things, everything will bloom in its own time. The only thing we can do is stand back and let time do all the work. That's what I love about nature."

_Time. All good things require time. You can't rush things. _Suddenly, Julia's words unexpectedly took on a double meaning. I thought about the situation between King and myself. I can't rush him into talking with me about it. I have to give him time to figure things out on his own, just like I needed to. While not particularly soothing, Julia's unintentional reveal got me thinking. I knew I should just let King think things through, but at the same time, I just couldn't leave things the way they were. I decided later, to go and check on him. But for now, I planned to enjoy the company of my friend.

--

It was getting a little late and King was still not back. I'd waited for him for awhile, but now I was beginning to get worried. Ironically, now I knew what it felt like to be in his shoes. _He's not in the gym._ _Where else could he be? _I paced up and down the hallway on the first floor, wondering where else to look. Just then, I looked over to my left, into one of the empty courtyards outside. To my surprise, King sat near the fountain, staring off into nothingness. I knew he had a lot to think about, and I knew he was nervous about the fight. _What should I do?_

After a moment's hesitation, I opened the door that led outside and slowly approached him. His back facing me, my entrance went unnoticed. With each and every step I took, my blood began to boil. My feelings for King were getting stronger and stronger. Everything single thing about him, every memory, every conversation was like a jewel that I kept tucked away for safe keeping. To me, he was perfect without having to be perfect. I liked him just the way he was and it was getting to the point where I was starting to not regret telling him anymore. I wanted him to know how I felt and I wanted him to know that there was someone there who understood the burdens he had to endure. His burdens were many and all I wanted to do was help carry them. Afterall, that's what he'd done for me countless times.

"Hey Peter, I was just thinking about you.", he said. My heartbeat froze for a second, not expecting him to realize I was there.

"Hi King. How are you feeling?"

"I'm...fine. But there's something that I wanted to talk to you about." With that, he turned to face me, walking up to where I was standing. By the time he was standing in front of me, I was looking up at him. He seemed to tower over me, covering me in his shadow. There was a time where I was intimidated by him and his height, but now it just helped to show how I felt when I looked up to him. In my mind, I felt as if he was greater than me, and I was always looking up to him. His green eyes locked with my brown ones and I didn't want them to lose each other.

"You're still the same Peter to me and I could never think any less of you...but you need to know that because of certain factors, there are boundaries; lines that we can't cross..."

_Is he saying..._

My heart was beginning to sink along with the sun that was now setting down over the horizon. _Boundaries? Lines?_

"Do you understand what I'm saying...?", he asked. It was my eyes that looked away first, and suddenly all light was fading like the sun retiring from the sky. He was turning me down, telling me that he could never love me back. Suddenly I felt nauseas and my head was spinning. I quickly regained my composure for his sake. He was already stressed about his fight coming up, I knew I didn't want to add to it. Painfully, I faked a smile and nodded.

"I understand. Don't worry about it, it'll all work out. Besides, you've got your fight to think about. You should probably rest up then." It hurt to smile, it hurt to breathe. But I would have to be strong for him. Maybe that would be the only way I could help him for now. His gaze stayed on my face, a look of anticipation crossing his. It looked as if he expected me to storm off again, break down, hate him...but I could never do that to him now. If love was all about looking out for the other's best interests, then I'd have to do what I could. He couldn't deal with me getting emotional over things right now and I was finally beginning to understand that. I gave him a brief hug and then turned away, walking back towards the door.

"You coming?", I asked. He stood still for a second, studying me. But then he shook himself out of it and smiled.

"Yeah, let's go."

On the way back up to our room, we talked about casual things. It was as if things had gotten back to normal. But deep down, I could feel the slight tension in the air. I wasn't going to add to it by acknowledging it though. A few minutes later, we got back into the room. I suggested that we both just go to sleep, so that tomorrow, we'd both be well rested for his fight with Marduk.

"Good night, Peter."

"Good night, King."

I shut off the lamp next to my bed and glanced over at King's shadowy form. He laid on his bed with his back again facing me and a few seconds later, I saw that he was shaking slightly. My mind told me to ask him what was wrong, see if he was cold. But I knew he was nervous about everything. For now he'd have to just concentrate on the upcoming fight. Not being able to see him like this anymore, I turned away from his form and pushed away my thoughts. My thoughts were wishing that I'd get up and lie down next to him, offer him my warmth the way he offered his to me when I needed it. But after what he told me about boundaries and lines back when we were in the courtyard, I knew that this would never be acceptable with him. For now, I'd have to support him and respect his decisions, no matter how bad they hurt me on the inside.


	10. Cut

Chapter 10: Cut

"Don't worry, King. I know you're going to kick his ass."

"Thanks Peter. I'll see you after the fight." I watched as King entered the center of the cage arena. He was about to face Marduk and avenge Armor King's death. Though his voice was layered with anxiety, I could sense the anger and fury emitting from his body. It felt as if waves of it were hitting me as I stood next to him. And once he walked away, I no longer felt them. While he may have been worried, I wasn't. I knew that he was going to win this battle. On the other side of the arena, Craig Marduk prepared to fight.

"I'm gonna beat your ass this time!", he yelled. King showed no reaction, which told me that he was probably using Marduk's taunts as fuel for the upcoming clash. Instead he jogged in place, stretching his arms as Marduk continue to yell various obscenities and insults at him. Hell, it was enough to make me want to get in there and fight him, so I couldn't imagine how King was staying so silent. The referee came in between the two and began to count down. As soon as the word 'fight' was yelled, King's peaceful demeanor did a complete switch. He roared loudly as he ran towards Marduk, throwing a flurry of carefully calculated punches. The bigger man was hit with almost every punch. He was obviously taken off guard; the look on his face told me so. I couldn't help but snicker at how stupid he looked right now, holding his nose with his mouth wide open in shock.

In all the fights I had watched King take part in, I'd never seen him fight this hard. I winced as he stomped on Marduk's foot and head butted him to the ground. He was obviously very angry and had clearly been preparing for this battle for awhile now. Again and again, King drove his boot into Marduk's side. Each kick seemed to increase in force, along with King's brutish yells. He was winning the fight so far and I was glad for him. After about two more kicks, things took an unexpected turn. Marduk grabbed his ankle and tripped him before rolling on top of him and pummeling his upper body with his fists. My hand covered my mouth as I watched King take this beating. It was as if I was feeling each and every blow with him; the sight of him being in pain becoming too much for me to handle. Thankfully, King kicked him off and jumped to his feet, seemingly unharmed. His right fist plunged itself into Marduk's throat, ceasing his movements as he began to cough.

With a quick spin, King brought the same fist colliding across the man's face. I noticed a bit of blood fly out of his mouth as King back handed him into one of the cage walls. The audience began to yell louder now as the fight became more intense. Marduk turned around with a firm kick to the stomach. King stumbled backwards, temporarily distracted. That moment of weakness was all Marduk needed. He grabbed King around the waist and threw him into the wall. Then he stomped his foot into King's exposed back. _Holy shit!_, I thought. I could see King struggling to get up after that last kick, and I prayed to god that he'd move out of the way.

"King watch out!", I yelled. As if he had heard my voice over all the others, he rolled out of the path of Marduk's falling elbow attack. Instead of crashing into King's back, Marduk's elbow hit the hard ground underneath him.

"Fuck!!", he yelled in pain. Grabbing his arm, King performed one of his locks on the man. He pulled it up over the back of his head and strained with frustration as he tried to break it. Marduk's voice yelled out in pain. But just when it looked like King had the upper hand again, Marduk escaped the lock and threw King over his shoulder onto the ground. I could already see that he was hurting bad. I wished I could run in and stop Marduk from hurting him anymore, but this was King's battle to fight. I had no right to interfere now. The cheers of the audience continued to boom across the area, motivating both fighters to continue. Marduk stood in the corner holding his arm while King slowly rose up from the ground. He was holding his side, yelling out in frustration. Quickly, he ran at his opponent again and kicked him in the back. He then leaped onto and off the wall, delivering another kick to the back.

"Yeah, that's right!", I yelled in excitement. As Marduk turned around, he was met with a firm drop kick to the chest. After landing on his back, King stayed there for a moment to catch his breath. Unexpectedly, Marduk jumped up to his feet and charged at him. Unable to move out of the way fast enough, King was hit with a sliding kick to his stomach. Releasing a loud yell, he held the spot where he'd been hit and curled into a ball. _Oh no, come on King, get up. Get up!_

"King, get up!!", I yelled. The audience also motivated him to stand up again and continue the fight, but something was wrong. He wasn't getting back up. The referee came in and checked to see what King's condition was. After a few seconds, he raised his hand towards Marduk and the announcer yelled 'K.O.!' over the speakers. My stomach twisted in knots as Marduk pumped his fists in victory. King had lost...

"Excuse me sir, can you please let me in?", I asked anxiously to the guard by the gate door. He recognized me and nodded, opening up the gate for me to get through. Without hesitation, I ran over and knelt down to his side.

"King, are you okay?!" Instead of replying, he groaned in pain. I wrapped my arm around him and helped him to sit up. He sat there for a second, his eyes stuck on the ground. Next to us, Marduk laughed and taunted, mocking King for his defeat. Knowing this would upset him, I tried to comfort him.

"Don't listen to him. You did your best, don't feel bad okay?"

"...I let Armor King down..."

"No, no you didn't. You fought bravely and Armor knows that. He's proud of you King, he is." I sounded so desperate to make him feel better, I just couldn't bear to see him this hurt and upset. He sat still for another moment and for a second, I could've sworn I heard him sniffle. _King never cries..._

"King...?" I fought to find words to say, but it was too late. He pushed me away from him and rose to his feet, briskly walking away and out of sight. As I sat on the ground, I watched as he disappeared into the crowd. He looked so sad, so defeated. I couldn't believe he'd lost the fight. But he'd worked so hard, I didn't understand...Dusting my pants off, I stood up and took a step towards following King when suddenly, Marduk started to taunt me.

"I told you! King doesn't have what it takes to beat me, he just got lucky last time! I stomped his bitch ass, and I would've stomped yours too just to rub it in. Maybe now you both understand who's the better fighter." With that, he broke out into a fit of laughter, the blood still trickling from his mouth. Watching him laugh, I became enraged. This was the man who had hurt King so much. This was the man who had killed Armor King. And this same man was now rubbing it in his face and making him look like a fool in front of all these people.

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up?", I asked. His only response was his fat index finger in my face, pointing at me and laughing even harder now. No more. Taking advantage of this, I grabbed him by the thumb and twisted his hand, making him yell out in pain. Before he could make a move, I yelled out and kicked my right leg high over my shoulder, the heel of my shoe colliding with his chin. Blood spurted out of his mouth as he fell to his back, unconscious. Now _he_ was the one who looked like a fool. The referee came over and pushed me away, yelling things that I couldn't hear over the noise from the audience. There was a mix of gasps, cheers, 'boo's', and laughter. It didn't matter anymore, because I was done here. Quickly, I brushed past all the people in the crowd, running to the elevator. I was assuming that King had returned to our room and as I waited for the elevator, I looked down the hallway to see a door swinging slightly in the wind. It was the door to the courtyard from last night. Was King over there?

I left the elevator and jogged down the large corridor, eventually reaching the courtyard. Upon opening the door and looking outside, there he was, sitting by the fountain on his knees. His head down between his hands, he looked as if he was praying for forgiveness. It depressed me to see him so hurt. I had to compose myself before approaching him.

"King?" I expected for him to say something, but what he did say caught me off guard.

"Peter, please just leave me alone. I just need to be alone for a little while..._please?_" His voice shook and I could tell that he was either fighting back tears, or that he was already crying. Stunned by his words, I stood with my jaw slightly open before turning around.

"Okay.", I said, almost too quiet to hear. It was getting harder and harder to keep acting brave for him. Inside, I still felt like a coward, ready to break down at any given instance. But for his sake, I'd have to pretend to be a stronger person for him. I walked through the door and shut it quietly behind me. Barely seconds after I'd closed the door, I heard him start wailing, begging Armor King for forgiveness. I couldn't deal with it anymore, my face reddened and my eyes watered. One single tear managed to fall before I wiped it away and got a hold of myself. Why couldn't he get what he deserved? King was always helping me, always putting others before himself and yet somehow, he never really got the appreciation that he should've. I knew I had to talk to somebody.

Down the hall back by the elevator, I saw my friend Tiffanie approaching. _Thank god she's here._

--

"Wow Pete, that really sucks."

"I know, he seems to be taking it pretty hard. What can I do?"

"Just give him time.", Tiffanie replied. There it goes again._ Time._ We sat together in the gym, noticing that we were the only two occupying the large room.

"I just feel so bad, you know? Like I wish I knew what to say to make him feel better."

"I know what you mean. Sorry if this is a bad time to ask, but you never did tell me what happened between you two. How did he take the news?", she asked me. Having been good friends for a long time, I trusted her enough to tell her most things. She gave me that innocent look that only I understood. With a sigh, I started to speak about it.

"Well, it was weird. He just said that he didn't think of me any less, but he seemed so different afterwards. I...I kinda lost it and ran outside into the rain." Tiffanie's eyes widened, not so much in shock, but in confusion.

"You ran outside?", she asked.

"...Yeah." We looked at each other for a few silent moments before smiles started to stretch ever so slowly across our faces. And then finally, we laughed. It did sound kind of funny once I really thought about it. I was acting on impulse and it led me into doing something stupid. But Tiffanie knew me. She knew I did things like that, so we just joked about it.

"Hope you brought an umbrella!"

"I know right? Oh and what's worse, is that I got locked outside.", I added. Tiffanie laughed harder now, and her laughter only encouraged mine. It was a good minute before we calmed down. I thought about mentioning what happened afterwards, but I figured I wouldn't because it might sound worse than it really was. Wiping her face of tears, Tiffanie asked me another question.

"So what the hell did Marduk say to you after King's fight?"

"The usual shit."

"'Cuz you really kicked his ass! You were all like, 'hi-yah!', and then all I heard was, BOOM!" We started to laugh again, holding our hands over our mouths. She then got up and imitated my kick, re-enacting the entire little skit. I could tell she was making me laugh on purpose, trying to cheer me up. Even though it was working, something inside me felt wrong for making jokes right now when King was off feeling devastated. The images of him running out of the arena and of him kneeling down in tears in the courtyard returned, making me feel guilty for laughing. I tried not to show it, so I continued to talk to Tiffanie for a few more minutes. That's when I noticed Julia coming into the gym. She looked relieved when she saw me, waving at us both as she approached.

"Peter. Have you spoken to King?", she asked. I nodded, telling her that he wanted some time alone. "Oh, well I just saw him leaving the bar. He looked pretty bad.", she said. I looked down to my watch._ How long has it been since I left him? _Unless it was broken, my watch was showing that it had been nearly an hour ago. Panicking slightly, I stood up and started to jog towards the door.

"Julia, where did you see him?", I asked as I looked back.

"He was getting into the elevator.", she called back. After thanking her, I waved goodbye to my two friends and ran down the hallways until I reached the elevator. He was probably upstairs in our room by now. What made me nervous was that King didn't really drink as much as he used to. So hearing that he looked pretty bad made me worry that he was drunk. And when he was drunk, he had the tendency to get a bit angry. Once inside the elevator, I tapped my foot in anticipation as it carried me up to my floor. The doors opened up and I ran down the hall towards the room. After using my key, I pushed open the door and walked inside.

"King? King are you here?" I quieted once I closed the door and turned the corner, seeing him sitting at the table. The table had a number of beer bottles tipped over on it. Getting closer, I realized that they were mostly empty. He took another gulp of his current beer, not even acknowledging my presence. Slowly, I approached him.

"King...I know you're upset. But can you please put down the beer and just talk to me?" The room went silent and I wasn't even sure he heard me. But then he spoke up.

"I failed, Peter. I let Armor King down." Hearing his voice, I could tell that he wasn't drunk, but he was damn well getting close enough.

"King, you didn't fail him. You honored him by sticking up for him; by fighting in his name."

"I'm letting everyone down. I let you down, and now I let him down."

"...What? What do you mean?"

"You came to me and told me that you were raped. And then you told me that you loved me. And I shot you down.", he said to me. I went silent after that. What was I supposed to say to that? It wasn't his fault, it was mine for pressuring him. He lifted the beer bottle up and began to drink again. This was the problem. I reached forward and gently tried to take the bottle away from him. I could feel him resisting, trying to keep it for himself. Finally, I yanked it from his grasp and said, "It's my fault for telling you." Surprisingly, he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from taking the bottle, preventing me from backing away. His touch was rough this time, not like the warmth I usually always felt from him. He leaned closer to my face and looked up at me as he sat there.

"Tell me why you love me.", he said. I felt nervous, unsure of what to say or do.

"King, I don't think we should-"

"I said, tell me why you love me.", he interrupted. He said it louder this time, his grip tightening on my wrist slightly. My mind thought back to the man who raped me when I was twelve. That roughness, those callous hands, it was starting to feel the same. I closed my eyes and tried to push the thoughts away.

"King, can you please let me go?" My voice was bathed in nervousness, I wasn't sure if he was going to get violent or not.

"Tell me why you love me. Tell me how it is that _you_ can love me when nobody else ever did. Not my parents, not my family, no one. Tell me how this is different." _Was this why he was so distant? _I wanted to tell him, but fear wouldn't let me. After a few seconds, he let my wrist go.

"You see. You can't even tell me.", he said. Getting up, he brushed past me and headed for the door.

"W-where are you going?", I asked.

"I'm going to go get Marduk. He'll see what I can really do."

No. He was getting violent and out of hand, I couldn't let him leave this room. Quickly, I grabbed his arm and tugged him back towards me, away from the door.

"No, you're not going. Stay here.", I said with determination. If I let him go, he would do something that he'd regret later and I couldn't let that happen. I had to protect him like he protected me. Unfortunately, he wasn't seeing it that way.

"Get off.", he said to me.

"King, you're not thinking straight-"

"Peter...get off."

"No! I'm sorry, I'm not letting you go!", I yelled angrily, trying to keep him from walking towards the door.

"GET OFF!!" His palm shoved into my chest, knocking me back into the table behind me. I crashed into it, hearing the sound of shattering glass as it gave way.

...

The room was silent. In shock, I looked up at King. His expression had totally changed into one of surprise. It was like he couldn't believe what just happened. More silence filled the room as I tried to get up. Then, with a small cry of pain, I realized that I had a piece of broken glass sticking out of my elbow. It wasn't big, but it was large enough to make me bleed. Once King saw my injury, once he saw my fear, he quickly knelt down and tried to examine it. In fear, I pulled away from him and ran to the bathroom, yanking the glass out. It hurt worse than I'd thought it would, blood dripping from my elbow. Grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around my elbow and turned around only to meet with King.

"Peter..."

"I'm fine. Please just move." He had me cornered in the bathroom and I was afraid of what he might do next.

"Peter, I'm so sorry..." His hands touched both sides of my neck and traveled up to my cheeks. He knelt down enough so that we were at eye level with each other. I tried to look away, unsure of what he was going to do. But he wouldn't let me. He held my face in his hands, brushing his forehead against mine.

"I'm sorry...", he whispered over and over. His hands reached around my back and I could feel that he was pulling me in for an embrace.

"I...I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me, I'm so sorry...", he continued. I noticed that his touch had returned to its normal warmth. His voice shook with regret and after I saw that he wasn't angry anymore, I slowly let my arms wrap around him as well. We stood there, heads resting on each other's shoulders, moving back and forth slowly. A minute later, I found the courage to speak again.

"I think you should go to sleep. You've been through a lot today and you need to calm down...okay?" After I spoke, his hands gently squeezed my back and massaged it softly. He nodded before slowly letting go. Seeing that he was still a little intoxicated, I decided to help him get back to his bed. He stood against the wall behind me as I rinsed my wound before wrapping a bandage around my elbow. The whole time, his hand slightly rubbed against the back of my shoulder, trying his best to comfort me as best he currently could. After I was finished, I grabbed his wrist and started to leave the bathroom. He then did something that shocked me. He slid his wrist out and locked his fingers with mine. He was holding my hand. Swallowing hard, I continued on to his bed and helped him lay down.

"You'll feel better in the morning. We'll talk about everything then, alright?", I said quietly as he lay there. I pulled the blanket over his body and turned to go to my bed when suddenly, his hand once again stopped me from moving. I looked towards him to see what he wanted.

"Please, stay with me.", he said. My eyes gave him a questioning look, not fully understanding him. "Sleep with me.", he said now. It was odd seeing him like this, but I knew it was the alcohol. One look from his green eyes and I felt I had to give in to him. Slowly, I nodded and sat down on the bed, getting underneath the covers with him and shutting off the light. My back faced him, but then I felt his arm wrap around me. His warmth reminded me of the other night, when he had held me before. Again, he whispered how sorry he was and how he didn't want me to leave his side tonight. I had nothing to say, but my body chilled with goosebumps at his touch. So loving, so kind, so warm. This was his true side, his true feelings...and he was sharing them with me. A minute later, he was snoring. I smiled to myself, finding security once again within his arms. Before I fell asleep with him, I reached down and held his hand that was resting on my stomach, gently brushing my thumb back and forth over his warm skin. I'd never seen King so vulnerable, so fragile like he was tonight. I curled into him, feeling safe knowing that he was my protector, and that I was his.


	11. Withdrawal

Chapter 11: Withdrawal

My eyes slowly opened to the sunlight. I lay still, my breathing slow and steady. At first, I felt like it was any other day, but that's when everything from last night came rushing back to my mind. I remembered King drinking his pain away, his frustration and anger finally reaching its boiling point. He asked me to explain my feelings to him, pushed me, and after realizing what he'd done, he tried to comfort me. And then the last words he said played back: 'Stay with me'. Right away, I could feel my awareness raising by the second. Carefully, I slowly rolled over to see if King was still next to me. To my surprise, he was standing by the nearby window, arms folded as he looked deep in thought. He'd obviously been awake for awhile now, he was dressed in new clothing and he looked as if he might be going somewhere. Shaking myself further awake, I called out to him.

"King?" He turned quickly and made eye contact with me briefly before coming closer to the bed.

"Umm..." he started. Seconds passed and nothing else was being said. Sensing the awkwardness, he scratched the back of his head and continued on. "About last night..I'm really sorry."

"...It's okay, you were drinking and you weren't yourself." I replied.

"See that's the thing...I was myself. And I'm sorry that you had to see it." For some reason, his words shocked me a little. I'd never heard him say anything like that before, so I curiously continued the conversation.

"King. You don't have to be sorry for feeling upset. It happens to all of us, hell, you've seen me at some of my worst moments. Don't feel bad."

"How's your arm?" he asked, changing the subject. I looked down at the bandage around my elbow and then back to him.

"It's fine." It was then that I really saw just how much of a wall he kept up. Last night, he showed me an insecure side which I never knew him to have, and now here he was acting as if everything was completely fine. I could tell by his tone of voice that he didn't want to get into those details, so I chose to ignore them for now. Although, I wanted to know what he thought about asking me to sleep in the bed with him. I noticed that I was still in his bed. Hesitantly, I moved off of it and approached him. He backed away from me ever so slightly, raising his hand up as if to say something else.

"Please don't mention anything I said last night...anything. Alright?" His words were half commanding but more pleading once I played them back in my mind. I already knew what he meant, but I had the desire to ask anyways. For his sake, I decided against it.

"Let's just pretend it never happened." he added before waiting for my response. At first, I didn't even know he was waiting for one, but his eyes stayed locked on mine as if searching for it. Slowly, I nodded back to him. Making my way back to my own bed, he turned his back to me and spoke again. "I got us a flight back home for tonight. There's no point in us staying around this place now since we're no longer in the competition." To me, he said one thing but I heard another. I personally started to feel like he just wanted to leave this room behind so that he could be back in his comfort zone and avoid what's been happening between us. Given the past few days' events, I couldn't blame him. Looking over to the right, I realized that his bags were already packed. He really was ready to go.

"Okay. I'll pack my things." He gave me another small nod before walking past me and leaving the room. It was as if he didn't feel comfortable around me anymore at all. The thought of that being true hurt me, but it was a reality I'd have to face. Opening up my suitcase, I started to randomly throw my belongings inside.

-----

"I'll call you as soon as I get home, okay? You guys have a safe trip." said Julia as she waved us goodbye from the airport gate.

"Okay Julia, good luck with the rest of the tournament." said King as he walked into the hallway to board the plane. I looked over at her and gave her a brief hug before exchanging goodbyes. While I knew she was slightly disappointed I wasn't staying to cheer her on, I knew me being around after everything that happened would only hinder her focus. We would see each other soon enough since we all lived in Arizona now, so the farewell didn't feel as painful as it normally would have. With one last smile, I followed King onto the plane and made my way over to my seat next to him.

Right away, I noticed his silence as he opened up a magazine and started to flip through its contents. Whenever I asked him a question or made a comment, he would just smile briefly and nod or do something else just as insignificant. I knew then that this ride back home was going to be a long one. It took several minutes before the plane began to go down the runway, the flight attendants going through their routine safety procedures. Moments later, we were in the air and I put on my headphones to try and lessen the tension I was feeling. Listening to something relaxing, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against my pillow. A few seconds later, I cracked my eyes back open just a bit and looked over at King. To my surprise, his head was turned in my direction, watching me in a manner that looked as if he was trying to study me. I moved my shoulder slightly to get more comfortable and right away, I saw King quickly turn his attention back to his magazine. Sighing, I closed my eyes fully and let myself get lost in the music I was listening to. Before long, I could feel myself drifting off to sleep.

...

The trip seemed to go by a little faster than I expected, but that's probably because I had fallen asleep for a good portion of the flight. Before I knew it, King and I were already flagging down a taxi and on our way back home. He seemed a little less on edge, most likely because he was happy to be home. Finally, we pulled up to our house and got out of the taxi. Once we had all our belongings, King paid the driver and made his way to the front door, taking the key out from his back pocket. To be honest, I was happy to be home too. Even though things were far from it, I could try and get back to normal.

"What a trip. Did you want me to order us something to eat, Peter?" King asked.

"No it's okay, those stale peanuts from the plane sort of killed my appetite. Thanks anyway though." I replied as I rolled my suitcase into my room. He nodded before getting on the phone. I didn't know who he was calling, but I closed the door to my room and flipped on the television. As I sat on my bed flipping through the channels, I couldn't help but laugh at how many shows about love and happiness were playing. It was almost as if I was being taunted in some odd way, like somebody wanted me to see what I couldn't have right now. After a few more minutes, I decided that watching television wasn't going to be helping me feel any better. I turned it off and opened my room window slightly, watching as the sun began to set over the horizon. It was nice to see something so serene, after days of having to watch people beat each other to a pulp.

With nothing better to do, I flipped on my stereo and started to listen to an old CD I had made a few months back. Even though I was trying to distract myself, I couldn't help but notice just how much I'd changed. I felt as if somewhere along the way, I'd lost a piece of myself. However, the change was a good one. Usually, I was always so consumed with worrying about what others thought of me, and now I felt a bit more confident. About an hour or so later, I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in." I called out. King opened the door and after I turned down the music, he began to speak to me.

"I'm going to be heading off to the bar with some friends, but I shouldn't be back too late." he said.

"Okay, have fun." I replied as nicely as I could. Secretly, I was a little disappointed that he was leaving the house so soon, even though we'd just got in not too long ago; but he had a life and people to see so I didn't mind as much.

"Are you going to be alright here by yourself?" he asked me. Honestly, the question shocked me. I was twenty years old, an adult. Why wouldn't I be alright by myself?

"Yeah sure I'll be fine. If I need anything, I'll just call your cell. See you in a bit." As much as I tried to come off normal, I think my voice had a certain coldness to it as I spoke to him. When he just nodded and closed the door, it confirmed that for me. Usually, King was much more talkative with me before going out, making jokes and such. Outside my window, I heard him greeting his friends eagerly. They all sounded so excited to see him back home and I could tell that King was genuinely happy to be back around something familiar to him. I knew the bar they were going to, King usually always went with them every Friday night to have a few beers. I'd only been inside there once, but everyone there always seemed to treat King like family. He was a hero to so many of them. Every time he came in, everybody would gather around and ask him about his life and how things were going. Since I wasn't twenty one yet, I couldn't really be in there so I didn't personally know everybody as well as King did. However, there were times when his friends would come by the house and introduce themselves to me. They were all good people and as long as King had them in his life, I was happy for him.

After a few minutes of talking, they all got in their cars and headed off towards the bar. Now sitting in silence, I drummed my fingers against my desk trying to think of something to do. I didn't have too many friends, so I already knew there wouldn't be anyone to hang out with. I knew the few people I talked to here in this town probably would be off doing their own things since it was a Friday night, so I didn't bother to call anybody up. Instead, I went downstairs into the gym area and made my way over to the punching bag. Whenever I was stressed or upset about things, the punching bag always helped me get rid of it. Cutting some tape with a pair of scissors, I wrapped it around my fists and put on my black fingerless fighting gloves. I clicked on the small radio in the corner and started to do some warm up stretches. Clearing my mind of all things, I walked up to the bag and prepared to strike.

After exhaling, I thrust my right fist into the center of the black bag. Then I hit with my left, and back to my right. Continuing this pattern, I paced my breathing with the hits, making sure I wouldn't lose control. I threw some more jabs, punches, and chops. After a few more minutes of this, I began to kick at the bag as well, grunting in anger as each kick became more and more intense. Sweat dripped from my face as the music from the radio fueled my attacks. As I continued to attack the bag, my thoughts began wandering back to King. I thought of the situation that I had put myself in by telling him how I felt. I thought of how he seemed to be pulling away from me and then I thought of how he would never return the love that I had for him. Harder and harder I hit the bag, rattling the chain as I did so.

"It's not fair..." I muttered as I punched. Again, I thought of what King told me. I remembered how he told me to pretend like things never happened. But how could I ignore the feelings I had for him? To me, he was the center of my universe now and no matter how hard I tried to move on from him, I just couldn't.

"It's not fair." I said a little louder as I kicked at the bag again. Confusion turned to sadness, sadness turned to frustration, frustration turned to anger. "It's not fucking fair!!" I stopped hitting the bag, backed up against the wall and slumped down into a sitting position, trying to catch my breath.

'Calm down, everything will be okay.' I thought to myself. The more I sat there thinking about everything, the more I wanted King to be here. I wanted him to tell me that everything was indeed going to be okay. I wanted to hear him say that he understood me and that he loved me back. I wanted to hear so many things from him, but I knew he'd never say them. For now, I'd have to toughen up and deal with all these feelings on my own. I usually always had him to rely on but this time, I knew that I was on my own.

...

If the truth is supposed to set you free, then why do I feel so restrained?

-----

The next day came faster than I expected. King sat across from me at the table picking at the food on his plate, looking like he had a lot on his mind. I was unsure if I should ask him what he was thinking but I wanted to know.

"King, Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I was just thinking about a wrestling tournament coming up." he replied.

"Oh really? You're going to enter?"

"I think so. This tournament is a few towns over, definitely a long drive. I'm actually going to head over to the admissions center in a bit. I'll probably be gone for a few days." As he said that, he kept his eyes locked on his plate. Usually, he would always offer for me to come and cheer him on. He said nothing else, and I knew he was secretly waiting for me to respond to it. Instead of showing him weakness, I hid my true feelings and cleared my throat.

"I think you should do it."

"...Really?" he said, this time making eye contact with me. I nodded, looking back down at my plate this time.

"You have to do what makes you happy, King. If you want to go, I'm all for it." With that said, I took my plate and dumped it in the trash can before placing it in the dishwasher. The next few minutes consisted of small talk between us both. It was obvious that he was wondering why I acted the way I did, but if I truly wanted the best for him, I would have to abide by his wishes and pretend that nothing was bothering me. Before another awkward silence could come on, I switched on the television turned up the volume. After a few seconds, King left the room to get ready.

-----

It was the next day, towards the night. King had left the day before like he said he would. His departure wasn't as awkward as I imagined it to be. I wished him luck on his tournament and he wished me well with whatever the hell it was I was going to do in the next few days. Well, he didn't exactly say that, I just knew that I'd be bored stiff without him around. For once, I planned on getting out of the house. I was going to go to a bar nearby. At first, I considered going to the one King always went to, but since everybody there knew him, they'd know me and how I wasn't legally able to drink yet. For now, I was just going to try out the fake I.D. that Steve Fox had helped me get during the tournament. If King knew I had one, I don't think he'd be too happy about it, so the fact that he wasn't around actually benefited me.

Taking my black cotton hoodie, I walked out the front door and locked it with the key. The bar I was going to was just down the road, it would only take about twenty minutes to get there. Along the way, I practiced how to present my fake I.D. to the bartender. It's funny how such a simple act made me so anxious. Since my mind always tended to look more to the negative side of things, I imagined all sorts of different possible scenarios. Maybe the bartender would call my bluff and know that the I.D. was fake just by looking at my face. Maybe I'd see one of King's friends there and they'd call him up and tell him about it. Maybe I'd get drunk off my ass and make a complete fool out of myself in public.

Before long, I was approaching the door to the bar, trying to push my nervousness aside. As soon as I opened the door, it made a beeping sound to let the owner know that someone had just come in. 'Great, just let everybody know I'm here.' I thought to myself as I tried my best to act natural. Walking to the counter with my hands in my pockets, I took a seat and asked for a few shots.

"You got I.D.?" asked the bartender.

"Yeah, hold up." I said as I tried to look shocked, as if I drank all the time and never got asked to show my I.D. before. Smoothly pulling it out of my wallet, I showed it to him and mentally held my breath. To my surprise, he nodded and started to get some shot glasses ready. While he wasn't looking, I put the I.D. away and exhaled real slow.

'Looks like my luck is turning around.' I thought to myself as I swallowed the first shot. Since I wasn't too much of a heavy drinker, some of the shots made me wince just by the taste alone. I did my best to hide my expressions, but inside I was wondering how the hell King had it in him to drink this stuff and not show any reaction whatsoever. Not too many people were inside the bar tonight, just a few scattered about here and there. One man sat a few seats away from me and most of the others sat at their own tables. While the bartender was cleaning, he gave me a long stare that made me a little bit nervous. After a few moments, he finally spoke up.

"Hey, do I know you from some place? You look real familiar." he asked.

'Shit!' I thought. "No I don't think we know each other." I replied, hoping he'd drop it. But instead of letting it go, he leaned a little closer to me.

"No, I'm sure I've seen you some place..."

"His name is Peter. He's been in those King of Iron Fist Tournaments on television." I turned my head in the direction of the voice. It was the man who was sitting a few seats away from me. The bartender then clapped, realizing who I was.

"I KNEW I'd see you around somewhere, kid! You were pretty good in the last few tournaments, but what happened with you this year?" he asked. Feeling embarrassed, I drank another shot and looked to the ceiling.

"I wasn't as focused as I should've been." I replied.

"I'll say, you pretty much got your ass handed to you by that Jin Kazama dude. Ain't you King's step-son too?" asked the man sitting nearby, clearly drunk. Before I could respond, the bartender spoke again.

"No way, King? As in King that hangs out at the bar down the road King? Well, we just be gettin' celebrities left and right in this town, wait till I tell my brother." he said excitedly. Right away, I panicked on the inside and knew it was time for me to go before someone else thought it'd be a good idea to spread the word. Leaving my money on the counter, I thanked him and started to walk out.

"Hey, where you goin' all of a sudden?" asked the drunk man on the stool nearby as I passed him. "Maybe you could stick around and show us some pointers, hot shot."

"No thanks, how about asking again when you're not foaming at the mouth?" I said before opening the door and heading out into the darkness. "Damn, that is the last time I try that shit."

"Hey!" I heard from behind me. It was the drunken man, coming outside after me with a beer in his hand, his nuts in the other as he staggered towards me. "What the fuck did you say to me?!"

"What's the point in me repeating myself if you won't remember it in the morning?" I retorted angrily as he clung onto my shirt and got into my face. His breath smelled of way too much alcohol as he panted heavily like a dog in the summer time. I brushed his hands off my shirt and turned around to walk away again when suddenly, he grabbed my shoulder and spun me back around to face him. Without warning, he swung his beer bottle across the side of my face, shattering it in the process. I stumbled backwards slightly as warm blood began to drip from the side of my forehead. Before I could regain my balance, the man tackled me back into the brick wall behind me. I bounced off the wall and hit the ground, trying to get the air back into my lungs.

Looking up, I saw the man getting ready to kick me, but I rolled out of the way just in time. Grabbing the hair on the back of his head, I slammed his face into the brick wall and pulled him back to face me. Blood dripped from his nose as I kicked him in the stomach as hard as I could. He bent over, groaning in pain. Not stopping, I once again grabbed his hair and yanked him back up to a standing position. Holding his head in place with one hand, I used the other to punch him across the face. He spun around and fell to the floor. Blood dripping from my chin, I opened my left hand and let a clump of his hair fall to the ground before taking another step towards him.

"Hey hey hey!! Knock it off!!" a voice yelled. It was the bartender from inside.

"Oh I'll knock it off alright." I said as I tried to lunge at the drunk man on the ground. The bartender jumped in front of me and shoved me back.

"Cut it out! You've done enough." he said, looking over his shoulder at the man who was now vomiting on the ground.

"He fucking cracked his beer over my fucking face, man!!" I yelled, covering my wound with my hand.

"I know, I know and I'm sorry he did that, but dude, he's fucking drunk. Just go home, I'll take care of this." he said as he knelt down and checked on him. After a few seconds of realizing what just happened, I looked at my fist. My knuckle was split and my hands were splattered with blood that was half mine, half his.

"I...I didn't mean-"

"Son, I know you didn't but just go before things get worse, please." Taking his advice, I turned on the road and started to walk back home. My head began to throb after the adrenaline died down. What did I just do? The walk back seemed a lot longer than the first walk. Unlocking the door, I stumbled inside and closed the door. Right away, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a clean rag. Placing it to my wound, I dropped to my knees and held back a cry. Pain started to set in and I knew I was probably going to need stitches. Knowing I couldn't drive, especially with alcohol in my body, I tossed out the idea and got back up. I opened the freezer and put some ice into a ziplock bag, dabbing the wound before dropping the rag. Once I placed the ice against my forehead, I shivered at how cold it felt. I made my way to the couch and laid on my back, closing my eyes. I looked at the clock, realizing it was close to eleven o' clock. Again, I closed my eyes and tried to will the pain away. I felt myself getting tired and before long, my awareness decreased until I could no longer hold the ice to my forehead.

-----

"Peter?! Pete!" I heard King's voice echo through my eardrums. I could almost feel him wrapping his arms around me, lifting my head up against his chest. Even though I was dreaming, I swore I could smell his cologne and feel his warmth. Unfortunately, this kind of scenario only happened in my sleep.

"Wake up! Peter!" I heard him call again.

...

I was just dreaming...wasn't I? Opening my eyes slowly, I realized that it was near midnight. King was really here and I wasn't dreaming. Looking around, I struggled to remember where I was or what had happened. My head started to throb again and that's when I realized why I was lying here. The bar, the fight with that man, everything was coming back. My vision took a few seconds to clear but once it did, I looked up and saw King looking back down at me. I could tell he was worried just by the tone of his voice.

"What happened to you??" he asked. Regaining my energy, I pushed away from him and stood on my own feet. He wasn't supposed to be here, he was supposed to be at his tournament. I felt so embarrassed and ashamed that he was seeing me like this, that every time he tried to come near me, I turned my face away and covered my wound. It was stained with dry blood but a small moisture still remained.

"Let me see it." he said.

"I'm fine." I replied, my voice quiet.

"Peter, let me see it." he asked again. Still somewhat dizzy from the blood and alcohol, I tried to walk away but couldn't move very far without almost stumbling over.

"King, it's not that bad okay. I just fell is all."

"Peter, you didn't fall."

"How would you know? You're always off somewhere, how would you know?!" I yelled back. As soon as I finished the sentence, I wanted to take it back.

"...I heard about what happened." he said in a concerned tone. I shook my head, not wanting to believe what he said. With all the blood rushing to my head, I went to lean against the counter but found myself falling to my knees. Before I could feel the ground, King caught me and pulled me back up to my feet. Holding me with one arm, he used his other hand to try and look at my wound. Still resisting, I moved my face away every time his hand touched it. I felt so humiliated. Finally, King grabbed hold of my face and looked me in the eye.

"Please, stop." he said, his voice patient and concerned. He observed the wound for a few seconds before speaking again. "You're going to need stitches. I'll take you to the hospital and then-"

"No, no please I don't want people to see me like this." I tried to pull away from his grip but I didn't have enough energy to put up much of a fight. Not loosening his arm from around my back, he pulled me closer as he walked me over to the couch. Helping me to sit back down, he put a pillow behind my back and handed me the half melted ice pack I had made.

"You'll need to go. But before that, we have to stop the bleeding." He got back up and moved to the bathroom. My vision blurring again, I heard him searching for materials before his footsteps sounded closer. He stood in front of me and knelt down. He dipped a rag in what looked to be alcohol and carefully placed it against the wound. I gasped as I felt a stinging sensation burning through my forehead.

"Ah...ow!!" I yelled out, gripping King's forearm while trying to move my face away.

"We have to clean it, or you might get an infection. Okay?" It seemed so strange for someone as tough and strong as King to speak in such a soft, caring tone. It was this side of him that I felt so drawn to. While he was strong, I knew deep inside he had a pure heart and that he truly cared about me. Biting my lower lip, I nodded and let him continue. His face just inches from mine, I tried to breath slowly as I looked into his eyes. His gaze seemed fixed on his task, not once making eye contact with me. But in his eyes, I saw such a feeling of kindness and genuine concern. It was then I realized I was still holding tightly onto his arm, which rested just above my knee.

"I'm sorry." he said. The words took me by surprise and I wondered if I heard it right.

"For what?" I asked, looking over his shoulder as he finally looked back into my eyes.

"For not being there." his words hit me at the heart and before I could say anything in response, he shook his head and continued on. "I should've been there."

"...It's not your fault. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time." I responded.

"But if I'd been here, you wouldn't have gone there." He cupped his hand around my neck, and the chill I then felt travel down my spine made me wonder if it was from the loss of blood, or from his touch. He held my neck steady as he wiped the wound dry with another rag. It hurt, but him being here like this was enough to help me endure it. Once he finished cleaning it, he started to place a bandage around my head. Again, I looked into his eyes as he stayed focused. That look of determination that he always wore in times like this made me feel safe. Now finished, he pulled away from me and helped me to stand.

"Don't worry, everything is going to be okay." he told me as he helped me outside to the car. Earlier I was thinking I'd never hear him say that to me, but here he was, telling me what I needed to hear. And for some reason, I believed him this time.


	12. Guardian

Chapter 12: Guardian

It'd been days since the incident at the bar. The day after I'd gotten my stitches, King visited the man who attacked me to see if he was okay. I felt bad about it, and I wouldn't dare tag along, so I waited patiently for a few hours before King returned home. He told me that I didn't do any permanent damage, other than a bruised ego, but the man was going to be okay.

"How can you care about so many people?" I remembered asking him that day. He walked past me, speaking without even thinking of his response. He told me, "Because its the right thing to do." In that way, I was jealous of him. Try as I might, I didn't have it in me to forgive people so easily; the way King freely forgave others. However, this same quality drew me closer to him. With so much strength and compassion, he inspired me to be a better man every day. Somehow, a part of me knew that even though I would continue to try, I would never be as good a person as King.

I sat in my room, resting on my back as I stared at the ceiling above me. I'd been like this ever since that night. For the past few days, my thoughts teased me. I thought back to the feelings I had when King touched me, when he told me that everything was going to be okay. I did believe him when he said it, but the more I lay there thinking about everything, the less I continued to believe. _'He was just being concerned, there was nothing else to it.'_

"You know, I think if you stare just a little bit harder, you _might_ just be able to chip the paint." I heard a voice say. Looking away from the ceiling, my eyes locked with King's. He stood with his arms folded, leaning against the door frame to my room. I could see a smile on his lips through the mouth of his mask. It was the first genuine smile I'd seen from him in a long time and being here now to see it; it felt so good. Whenever he was happy, I was happy. And lately, he hadn't been overly joyous about much of anything.

"Just thinking, that's all." I replied as I moved up into a sitting position on the bed. "What about you?"

"I've been doing the same. Hey, can we talk?" he asked me, his smile fading slowly back into the shadows of his mask. For a second there, I stopped breathing. This was the first time since me telling him about my secret that's he's wanted to talk. Catching myself, I nodded and motioned for him sit down in the chair across from me.

"Sure, what's up?" My posture immediately straightened up and I wondered what exactly he was going to say. Taking the seat, he flipped it around backwards and sat down, letting his arms fold on the head rest.

"I know things have been weird between us lately, but I need your advice." he said.

"What is it...?" I asked. Though I was nervous, I was also excited. It felt like the old days where we'd come to each other for advice. We were all each other had and it was nice to have that feeling returning to me.

"I...can't help feeling still...." he stopped and looked to the ground. Biting my lower lip, I waited for him to finish his sentence.

"I mean...do you think..Armor King is disappointed with me?" As soon as his words finished, my heart sank. While one part of me felt relieved at the topic, another part felt terribly guilty and upset for him.

"King.."

"I know, I know you told me that he's proud of me. That I tried my best to avenge him and that's what matters the most but..something still doesn't feel right. He taught me how to control my anger; how to win against overwhelming odds. But still, I couldn't defeat Marduk. I can't help but have this feeling deep inside my heart that somewhere out there, wherever his spirit is, he is upset with me."

"You just said it yourself." I replied, watching as he slowly looked up at me.

"What do you mean?"

"Your heart. That feeling in your heart, that's him. His spirit is there and he's telling you to let it go. He knows how hard you tried, King. He knows how hard we both tried to avenge him."

"He taught me to win, he taught me to succeed-"

"But at the end of the day, you're still human. We're both still human. The best we can do is learn from our mistakes and improve ourselves for the next time. Armor King also taught you that...didn't he?" After I spoke, King took a deep breath and looked up to the ceiling, much as I had been doing before he came in. After a few more moments of silence, he nodded and looked back at me.

"Thank you Peter. I needed that." he said, exhaling as he started to cheer up.

"No problem, you would do the same for me."

"When did you learn to be so...understanding?" he asked me. Looking away and smiling at the fond memories I had, I gave him his answer.

"I learned from you." The room was quiet for a little while before King stood up and walked towards the door. Before he left the room, he turned back to face me again.

"..I've missed talking to you, Peter."

"I've always been around, King." As soon as I said it, I mentally gasped, realizing that I had maybe said too much. The last thing I wanted to do was offend him, especially now. Holding my breath slightly, I looked over to him to see what his reaction was going to be. For a brief moment, he looked shocked, but after a few seconds, he nodded silently and offered me another small smile.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." he said before walking out. Releasing the breath from my chest, I sighed silently to myself as I lay back down on my back. Even though he wasn't acting fully like himself yet, I couldn't help but find myself smiling at his words.

-----

The next few days passed by uneventfully. King and I just continued to get back into our routine lives, albeit slowly. Small talk between us now was far less awkward than before and oddly enough, things were feeling similar to the way they used to be. Hell, I'd settle for that any day over the walking-on-egg-shells tension we'd had before. Another thing I noticed was that King was a bit more protective over me now. Whenever I went to go anywhere, he always offered to come along, especially if it was during the hours of night. While I would've loved nothing more than to have him accompany me so frequently, I wanted to show him that I was a strong person. I wasn't as weak as I used to be anymore.

One night, I was walking down the street towards the house when my cell phone started to ring in my pocket. Fumbling with the grocery bags in my hands, I finally was able to reach it. Once I flipped it open, I heard a woman's voice.

"Peter?" asked the voice. Right away, I noticed that she was sobbing.

"Julia? What's wrong?" I asked, stopping in my tracks despite the heavy bags I was carrying.

"I...I lost. I'm no longer in the competition." She managed to say in between sobs. Frowning, I continued up the steps to the front door. Once inside, I began to speak to her again.

"Julia...I'm so sorry. I know how much winning this tournament meant to you."

"That's just it. Since I've been eliminated, I won't be able to get the data I needed for my research. It's all over for me. My dream, my purpose, everything. It's finished."

"Don't say that Julia. I know you. You're smart, you will find a way to continue."

"I hope you're right." she said, her voice beginning to calm down.

"Where are you now?" After a slight moment of hesitation, she replied.

"Ugh, I just got off the plane, I'm at the airport. And of all the nights, flagging down a taxi seems to be impossible right now."

"No need. Stay right where you are, I'm coming to pick you up okay?" I said as I placed the grocery bags on the kitchen table and searched for my car keys. On the other end of the phone, I could hear Julia trying to protest.

"No Peter, I'll be alright it's almost one in the morning and-"

"It's fine, I just came back from getting some groceries anyways." I said, finding my keys.

"Grocery shopping at this time?" Julia's voice said with a hint of humor.

"Hey, 7/11 is open all the time and I'm weird like that, so yeah." After my statement, I heard her start to chuckle. Good, at least she was beginning to feel a little bit better now.

"Peter, you always know how to make me laugh." she said, sniffling slightly as if she were drying her eyes.

"I try. Okay I should be there in about a half hour okay? I'll find you so stay put." I said, grabbing a jacket.

"Sounds good to me."

"Oh and Julia, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"No more crying okay?" I said with a polite yet reassuring tone. Laughing again, she agreed and hung up the phone. Putting my phone away, I made my way back to the front door when another voice called out to me.

"Peter? Where are you going again so late?" I turned around to see King, standing in his boxers, shaking himself awake. Flustered and slightly caught off guard, I was thankful it was dark because I could feel myself starting to blush. Finding a spot on the wall over his shoulder to look at, I began to speak to him.

"Julia just called. She just got off her flight and she's feeling pretty down. She got eliminated from the tournament." I said, scratching the back of my head and looking to the ground.

"Oh. Well I'll come with you then. Just give me two minutes to put something on." he said, turning back into the darkness of his room.

"King, you don't have to do that, I'll be fine on my-"

"It's late and you're tired. I don't want you to fall asleep at the wheel, okay?" he interrupted, but with a calm and collected tone of voice. Knowing how stubborn King got when he had his mind made up, I offered no further resistance. In what seemed like seconds, he reappeared from the darkness and tossed on his jacket. Once we were outside, I made my way over to my car. Before I could even turn the key in the lock, King nudged my elbow and motioned towards his car next to mine.

"I'll drive." he said. Shaking my head, I tried my best to hide my smile as I got into the passenger seat of his car. That was another quality that drew me closer to him. He was always so selfless, no matter what. Once I was inside the car, I couldn't help it. I chuckled to myself.

"...What?" asked King as he turned the key in the ignition and started to back out. Controlling myself, I tucked my smile away slowly.

"Oh nothing." I said. Looking over, I noticed him smiling at me; his lips visible once again through the mouth of his mask. He knew what he was doing. I don't know why, but at that moment, I felt like we were connected a little more than before.

-----

Julia was standing outside one of the gates with her bags on the ground. Once she recognized King's car, she immediately smiled and waved at us. Getting out of the car, I smiled and opened my arms as she ran to me. We embraced tightly for awhile, happy to see each other again.

"Thank you guys so much for coming!" she said, switching her hug to King who now stood beside me. Helping her put her bags into the trunk, we all got into the car. Instinctively, I sat in the backseat only to be surprised when Julia sat in the back with me. Moving over, I smiled as she adjusted her glasses.

"That tournament was so tough, in a way, I'm glad it's over for me." she said.

"Well we're glad you came back safe. And don't worry, we'll find a way to get your data back." I said, hoping to reassure her and make her feel better.

"I really hope so. From the looks of things, Jin seems like he's going to win the tournament this year."

"Again?" I said with a slight eye roll.

"Yes. But if he does win, I'm sure he will help me. We are friends after all." she said, trying to keep an optimistic appearance.

"Yeah and if that doesn't work, I can always talk to Xiaoyu. She's his best friend, I'm sure she can convince him to help you out." I said aloud to her.

"Yes that is true. Hopefully, I'll get to see my dreams fulfilled sooner rather than later."

"You will, Julia. So how was your flight?" I asked her, watching as she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Oh god, it was so long. But everything turned out okay, minus the kid who kept kicking my chair." We all laughed and a few moments passed. To my surprise, Julia leaned her head against my shoulder and began to fall asleep. She must've been tired. Looking up, I made eye contact with King in the rear view mirror. As soon as our eyes caught each other, he looked back to the road and sighed to himself. He had to be tired too.

"King, I'll drive now if you want." I said in a low voice so as not to wake Julia.

"No, it's okay." he replied quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine." he said, looking back to me in the mirror. Just then I heard him repeat those two words to himself in a silent whisper, before looking away.

...

_'What was that all about?'_

-----

A little while later, we pulled up to Julia's house. She had woken up and shook herself awake. Getting out of the car, she turned to King and smiled.

"Thank you again King, you're the best." she said.

"Anytime you need a favor just ask! You be sure to rest up okay?" he said in a friendly tone.

"Will do!" Just then, I moved to get out of the car to help her carry her bags from the trunk.

"Hey King, do you want me to drive us home?" I asked politely, knowing for sure that by now he must've been tired.

"I'm okay Peter." he said before covering up a yawn. I sat still for a second, looking at him before I snapped back into reality and got out of the car.

"Thanks Pete." said Julia as she opened her front door and showed me where to put them.

"No problem, Jules."

"Hey Peter?" she began, sounding somewhat serious again.

"Yeah?"

"I have to be honest. I do miss you being the person in my life." The bluntness of the statement caught me by surprise and I found myself standing there, not knowing what to say. Before an awkward silence could come over, Julia picked up the conversation again. "But I want to see you happy. Tonight when I saw you and King, you didn't look happy."

"Well, he had a bit of a hard time taking what I told him. He asked me not to talk about it." I said, folding my arms over my chest and looking to the ground.

"...Take it from someone who understands the feeling. If you need to talk about something, talk about it. Otherwise, you'll drive yourself crazy. If I've learned anything from you, its that holding your feelings inside will only make things worse. Just try and talk to him." Her words sounded so odd to me. Of all people, she had the most reason to hate me, yet here she was; trying her best to help me instead.

"Thanks Julia. I might just do that." I said.

"He needs you now more than ever after everything he's been through. Let him know you're there for him. Even if it has to be just as a friend." Looking at her, I felt lucky to have people like King and Julia in my life. Through their guidance, I had come a long way and it was through them that I understood what true friendship was all about.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that. But just know that even though things changed, I'll always be here for you too." I said, giving her a hug.

"I know you will be." With that said, she waved me goodbye and I went back outside to the car. Getting inside, King was quiet for a little bit before engaging in random small talk. It was as if he was uncomfortable. Julia's words played back in my mind. She was right.

"King. Are you okay?" I asked, looking at him. His eyes stayed on the road ahead as he nodded.

"Of course, I'm okay. Why?" he replied in a quiet, yet polite manner.

"Just making sure." Maybe Julia really was right. Maybe it really was time to talk to him. One thing was for sure, it couldn't be right here, right now. So I decided that I would try and talk to him tomorrow. Looking at him again, he not only appeared tired but upset. I knew King better than anybody and the more I looked at him, the more I knew that he was not okay like he had claimed he was.


End file.
